Vaccine approved for use

Who will get it first?

Priority groups (correct at 27 November 2020) ■ Elderly care-home residents and staff ■ 80 years+, health and social care workers ■ 75 years and over ■ 70 years of age and over, plus clinically extremely vulnerable individuals, excluding pregnant women and those under 18 years of age ■ 65 years and over ■ At-risk adults under 65 ■ 60 years and over ■ 55 years and over ■ 50 years and over

Are they being rushed too quickly?

Vaccines are going through the normal three phases of clinical trial involving thousands of people and a very thorough regulatory process. But the Government paid for the vaccines up front so they would be ready if approved and the companies and regulator have made COVID-19 vaccines their top priority.

Strict standards are met

The UK Government has now accepted the recommendation from the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve Pfizer/ BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for use. This follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. The NHS has decades of experience in delivering large scale vaccination programmes and will begin putting their extensive preparations into action to provide care and support to all those eligible for vaccination. The vaccine will be made available across the UK from next week. When it’s your turn, you will receive a notification.