How Has the UK Approved the Pfizer Vaccine First?

On December 8^th 90-year-old British grandmother Margaret Keenan received one of the first COVID-19 vaccines in the world. The shot kickstarted the country’s nationwide immunisation campaign, which will see more than 40 million doses administered to British citizens.

"Thank you to our NHS, to all of the scientists who worked so hard to develop this vaccine, to all the volunteers — and to everyone who has been following the rules to protect others," praised Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

A “turning point” from Pfizer and BioNTech

Co-developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the vaccine has been approved for use in the United Kingdom and is 90% effective in preventing COVID-19. It must be transported and stored at a temperature of -70C or below, then administered twice into the shoulder over a 21-day period. The UK is the first country in the world to approve the vaccine, with British health officials praising the immunisation campaign as a “turning point” for the nation’s ongoing struggle with the virus, which has currently infected more than 1.7 million people.

“I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19," said Ms Keenan, who received the vaccine at her local hospital in Coventry. “It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year.”

Vaccine faces a “PR problem”

Over the next few days around 800,000 doses will be administered at hospitals across the UK, with UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock hailing the vaccine as "light at the end of the tunnel" for the nation. "We will look back on today, V-day, as a key moment in our fightback against this terrible disease.”

While the vaccine represents an incredible leap forward for the fight against COVID-19 there are significant hurdles to overcome.  As well as being difficult to produce, store, transport, distribute and administer the vaccine will have to gain the trust of the British public. NHS doctor Veer Gupta says while the vaccine is backed by more than a decade of science it could face PR problems when it comes to public trust and confidence.

“I think we need to give people a lot more confidence in the science behind it and have them trust the vaccine to do its job,” says Gupta.

Find out more about the scientific advances that led to the development of the vaccine in ‘Getting a grip on Covid-19 test samples.’