UK becomes first Western nation to start vaccinating next week

Britons will start being vaccinated next Monday as the government unveiled the order in which it will be rolled out. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said its focus will be to protect the portion of the population most vulnerable to mortality, rather than reducing mass virus transmission, in the first phase of the rollout. 

Care home residents will go first, followed, in order, by those aged 80 and over, those aged 75 and over, those aged 70 and over, clinically extremely vulnerable individuals, those aged 65 and over, and those aged 16 to 65 with underlying health conditions. 

The JCVI justified its priority list on the basis that, “at the start of the vaccination programme, good evidence on the effects of vaccination on transmission will not be available, and vaccine availability will be more limited.” Therefore, the best option in the initial phase of the programme will be to “directly protect persons most at risk of morbidity and mortality.” 

Britain today became the first Western nation to approve a coronavirus vaccine, after the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency granting an emergency use authorisation to the Pfizer vaccine. It is the first of a series of approvals expected over the coming days and weeks. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will hold a press conference this evening, hailed the development as “fantastic” news that will “ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again”, while Business Secretary Alok Sharma noted that “the UK was the first country to sign a deal with Pfizer – now we will be the first to deploy their vaccine.” 

Dr June Raine, head of the medicines regulator, emphasised that “no corners have been cut” in quickly granting the authorisation. The regulator’s decision follows “the most rigorous scientific assessment of every piece of data,” she said. 

The first injections are set to take place on Monday, with the focus now shifting towards how quickly the pre-ordered vaccines can be shipped to Britain from Belgium. The extreme temperature requirements of the Pfizer vaccine have made logistics difficult, but doses for the UK are nonetheless “currently being packed” and ready for shipping “very, very quickly,” according to the Department for Health.

Britain’s leap ahead in terms of the vaccine rollout has given the country a two month majority-vaccination advantage over European neighbours, according to analysis by Goldman Sachs. The bank’s economists expect the UK to vaccinate half of its population by March, while the European Union would reach this marker by May.

The UK medicines regulator is widely expected to approve the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine within days, which would vastly increase the supply of doses.