UK approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 approved for use in UK

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19

Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 approved for use in UK

By Agency Reporter

The United Kingdom on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

The approval comes as the country battles a major winter surge driven by a new, highly contagious variant of the virus.

“The government has today accepted the recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorise Oxford University/AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for use,” the health ministry said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson applauded the vaccine’s approval.

Boris Johnson excited about the new vaccine

“It is truly fantastic news – and a triumph for British science – that the
@UniofOxford/@AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use. We will now move to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible”, Boris wrote on Twitter.

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The pandemic has already killed 1.7 million people around the world, sown chaos through the global economy and upended normal life for billions since it began in Wuhan, China, a year ago.

Britain and South Africa in particular are grappling with new variants of the coronavirus, which the government and scientists say are more contagious.

Many countries have responded by banning passenger flights and blocking trade.

AstraZeneca and other developers have said they are studying the impact of the new variant but expect that their shots will be effective against it.

Regulatory endorsement is a welcome boost for AstraZeneca and the Oxford team, which have been accused of a lack of clarity about the results from late-stage trials.

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