England is expecting two covid vaccines to be rolled out before the end of the year, after ordering 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 5 million of the Moderna vaccine, UK had ordered about 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine after it had been deemed safe and effective on elderly people. Oxford University now published the long-awaited news, clinical trials have revealed the vaccine to be 70% effective.
The results might not be as revelatory as for the American vaccines, with Pfizer and Moderna getting a 95% effectiveness, but trials have shown Oxford vaccine can be up to 90% effective when a second dose is injected. Moreover, the Oxford vaccine, produced along with AstraZeneca, would be able to get to those world areas where refrigeration is more difficult. Oxford and AstraZeneca jab is also far cheaper than the other vaccines and easier to store.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock confessed to be “really pleased” and said the rollout would begin in the new year. The vaccine will now go through safety tests in order to be guaranteed safe and be ready to be used all over the world. According to Hancock, it shouldn’t take too long before the rollout of the Oxford vaccine, he confirmed: “We hope to be able to start vaccinating next month”, as vaccinations could start immediately after the approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). “The bulk of the vaccine rollout programme will be in January, February, March… We hope that some time after Easter things will be able to start to get back to normal”, the Health Secretary said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson also confirmed this was an “incredibly exciting news”.
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