the uk medicines regulator has approved
the oxford astrazeneca coronavirus
vaccine
along with the fisa vaccine that's
already been given the green light it
paves the way for millions more people
to be immunized in the new year the uk
government has ordered a hundred
million doses that's enough to vaccinate
50 million
people the oxford vaccine is much easier
to transport and store than the fisa
biontec one already in use
it can be kept in a standard fridge and
is also much cheaper at less than three
pounds a dose
the approval of the vaccine comes as the
number of deaths from the coronavirus
reported in the last 24 hours
approached a thousand our medical editor
fergus walsh has the details
the approval of the oxford astrozenica
vaccine which is a fantastic
achievement for british science it's a
great day uh we're very proud
this is a really significant moment in
the fight against this pandemic
it is i think again changing moment this
is the vaccine
more than any other that will eventually
bring coronavirus
under control unlike pfizer's which
needs
ultra low temperatures the oxford
astrazeneca vaccine
can be transported in a fridge meaning
every care home in the uk
should now be in reach the medicines
regulator said no
corners had been cut with this approval
of the second vaccine we are another
step closer in helping to defeat this
virus
our clear message is that you can have
every confidence
in the safety in the effectiveness and
in the quality
of covid19 vaccine astrazeneca
the vaccine uses a gene from the spike
shaped protein on the surface of
coronavirus
this is put inside a modified harmless
virus
the vaccine instructs human cells to
make the spike protein
which prompts the immune system to
create antibodies
which can recognize and destroy
coronavirus
and it stimulates t cells which should
destroy cells
that have become infected so just how
effective is the vaccine
the latest estimate is it gives 70
protection against covid three weeks
after the first dose
the nhs will now hold back giving the
second dose of all coveted vaccines
until 12 weeks so more people can get
protected
the most pragmatic thing to do is to
give as many at-risk people as possible
the first dose of the vaccine
because we know that from three weeks
after that first dose
there's a very good level of protection
and nobody in the clinical trials
at that point after their first dose was
in hospital with covid or experienced
severe disease
this is now a race between the vaccine
and the virus
that means getting millions of doses
approved quickly
we're going to ship 500 or a bit more
than 500 000 doses this week to
start being used on monday and then
from there we will rapidly escalate
the deliveries so i really think by the
end of march
we will be in a very different place
what many want to know is
when will they get immunized prime
minister
how many people will the nhs immunize
every week because surely it needs to be
in the millions
the best answer i can give at the moment
is that
uh we will have millions of doses tens
of millions of doses by
the end of march we're working to get
the program
going as as fast as we can i don't want
to give you
uh specific numbers uh
at the moment much of the production is
done in the uk
like here in oxford unlike the more
expensive
pfizer jab which is produced in belgium
there are manufacturing facilities like
this all over the world which are
producing
bulk quantities of the oxford
astrazeneca vaccine
the aim is to have three billion doses
of the vaccine
by the end of 2021. to deliver
a safe and effective covert vaccine in
less than a year
is a stunning achievement the challenge
now
to ensure rapid rollout to those who
need it most
and fergus is with me now fergus we now
have two
vaccines at our disposal how significant
an achievement is that
i think it's hugely important and
positive news george i mean this vaccine
can be used anywhere that has a fridge
it's as simple as that and that's going
to make it vital
in controlling the pandemic here in
towns and villages
but also across the world oxford always
wanted to produce
a global vaccine and astrazeneca's
promised
in perpetuity to provide this vaccine at
cost
to low and middle income countries and
it's only
if we protect the world's population
that this pandemic will truly
be over there's lots of different
numbers flying around about how
effective this vaccine is but i think
the key message is that
even one dose should protect people
from severe covet infection and prevent
them needing to go into hospital
which will be vitally important at the
moment when do you think we'll see a
difference in our daily lives
well every person who is immunized is
another small victory against the virus
but it's not going to make
a major impact for months around 25
million people in the priority groups
that includes over 65 frontline
healthcare workers people with
underlying conditions now we didn't
need to immunize two million of those a
week
every week until easter to make a real
impact there so and that would just be
one dose each so a huge task
all right focus thanks very much thank
you