As of December 2nd, BioTechniques published an article written by Abigail Sawyer. This article shares the spectacular news of approval for the first COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer and BioNTech for use by UK regulator, MHRA. The UK has ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine, which given the two-dose requirement, will provide vaccination for 20 million people. Their plan will focus on vaccinating individuals in “hospitals, vaccination centers, and community GPs and pharmacies” first and foremost. As for New York, USA and Mainz, Germany, 800,000 Pfizer vaccines will be rolled out next week from the NHS. Inherently, hospitals are among the first to receive these vaccines because they have the facilities to store them at -70°C. UK’s health secretary, Mark Hancock has stated: “2020 has been just awful and 2021 is going to be better…I’m confident now, with the news today, that from spring, from Easter onwards, things are going to be better. And we’re going to have a summer next year that everybody can enjoy.” However, in the meantime, experts stress that we must remain vigilant and abide by the safety precautions set forth to prevent the spread of the virus.
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