Greavswasthegreatest
Vital Football Legend
So do we mate! We seem to forget we are an island....
Covid, Phase II. Commonsense is the order of the day.
- Thread starter Spursex
- Start date
So do we mate! We seem to forget we are an island....
It's funny as the Brexiteers have been crying out for the ability to block immigration for years and they now have the chance but don't take it!
Spursex
Alert Team
Coronavirus latest news: Pfizer vaccine available 'next week' after UK approval
2 December 2020 • 9:05am
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- Allison Pearson: Why protect the NHS when it can't protect us?
- New restrictions explained: Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3
- Subscribe today for a one-month free trial
Officials said the vaccine, which the UK today became the first in the world to approve, will be made available "from next week".
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "This follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
"The vaccine will be made available across the UK from next week."
The jab has been shown in studies to be 95 per cent effective and works in all age groups. The UK has already ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine, enough to vaccinate 20 million people.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "Help is on its way. The MHRA has formally authorised the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19.
"The NHS stands ready to start vaccinating early next week. The UK is the first country in the world to have a clinically approved vaccine for supply."
The Armed Forces and NHS have already begun urgent preparations for the distribution of a vaccine, The Telegraph understands, while sources said that around 10 sites will be transformed into vaccine hubs within a fortnight.
Follow the latest updates below.
Auto update
9:05AM
Matt Hancock offers to get Covid vaccine live on television
Matt Hancock has offered to get vaccinated live on television in order to convince people that it is safe.
"Yeah, I'll take it with you, Piers," Mr Hancock said in response to a suggestion from Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan.
"We'd have to get that approved because, of course, there is a prioritisation according to clinical need and, thankfully, as a healthy, middle-aged man, you're not at the top of the prioritisation.
"But if we can get that approved and if people think that's reasonable then I'm up for doing that because once the MHRA has approved a vaccine, they only do that if it is safe.
"And so, if that can help anybody else, persuade anybody else that they should take the vaccine then I think it's worth it."
Greavswasthegreatest
Vital Football Legend
So do we trust this company and readily accept their Vaccine?
https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/pfizer
https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/pfizer
Spursex
Alert Team
Britain is first western nation to approve Covid vaccine as Pfizer jab gets green light
updated
Rhys Blakely | Matthew Robinson
Wednesday December 02 2020, 8.30am, The Times
Health
NHS
Albert Bourla, the chairman and chief executive of Pfizer, hailed the announcement and said it was a “historic moment in the fight against Covid-19
JOEL SAGET/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Britain has become the first western nation to license a vaccine against coronavirus, paving the way for mass rollout of the jab across the country in the coming weeks.
The vaccine developed by Pfizer-Biontech was approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency this morning, ahead of similar decisions in the US and Europe.
Trials have indicated that the jab is 95 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic Covid overall and protects 94 per cent of people over the age of 65.
We will bring the stories of the day to life with warmth, wit and expertise. Listen for free on DAB radio, your smart speaker, online at times.radio, and via the Times Radio app
Start listening
The UK has secured 40 million doses, enough for 20 million people, with the first 800,000 expected to arrive within days.
Sir Simon Stevens, the NHS chief executive, said the health service was preparing for “the largest-scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history”.
It can begin because the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the Pfizer-Biontech inoculation for use. “This follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness,” a spokesperson for the health department said.
The joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, a panel of independent experts, “will shortly also publish its latest advice for the priority groups to receive the vaccine, including care home residents, health and care staff, the elderly and the clinically extremely vulnerable”, the spokesperson added.
Britain’s doses of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine will come from a factory in Puurs in Belgium. One potential obstacle is the fact that it must be stored in ultra-cold conditions of about minus 70C and experts had warned that its introduction could be slowed by the need for specialised equipment. Pfizer has since said that it can be stored in a normal fridge for up to five days, which would give the NHS more flexibility.
The vaccine works by injecting a tiny amount of genetic material, known as mRNA, into a person. This prompts human cells to produce a protein found on the surface of the coronavirus, teaching the immune system how to fend off the real pathogen.
Albert Bourla, the chairman and chief executive of Pfizer, hailed the announcement and said it was a “historic moment in the fight against Covid-19”. “The NHS has decades of experience in delivering large-scale vaccination programmes and will begin putting their extensive preparations into action to provide care and support to all those eligible for vaccination,” he said.
“To aid the success of the vaccination programme it is vital everyone continues to play their part and abide by the necessary restrictions in their area so we can further suppress the virus and allow the NHS to do its work without being overwhelmed.”
Boris Johnson tweeted: “It’s fantastic that MHRA has formally authorised the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19. The vaccine will begin to be made available across the UK from next week. It’s the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again.”
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said that “help is on its way” and that the “NHS stands ready to start vaccinating early next week”.
He told BBC Breakfast that only 800,000 doses of the vaccine would be available next week.
Admitting that ministers “hadn’t put a finger” on the number of doses available before Christmas, he said that Pfizer’s manufacturing capacity would determine the speed of the rollout.
He told Sky News that the UK was the first country in the world to have a “clinically authorised vaccine” and that the joint committee on vaccine and immunisation would outline its priority list for vaccinations today.
“This is fantastic news. The MHRA, the fiercely independent regulator has clinically authorised the vaccine rollout. The NHS stands ready to make that happen,” he said. “So, from early nearly we will start the programme of vaccinating people against Covid-19 here in this country.
“The joint committee on vaccinations and immunisation is the clinical committee that advises the government on the priority and who gets the vaccine in what order. They will be setting out details of that prioritisation later this morning, along with the MHRA, who will set out the clinical details behind this vaccine and why they’ve taken the decision to authorise it.”
Mr Hancock said that there were “three modes of delivery” of the vaccine, including in hospitals, vaccination centres and in the community.
“Fifty hospitals across the country are already set up and waiting to receive the vaccine as soon as it’s approved, so that can now happen,” he said. “Also vaccination centres, which will be big centres where people can go to get vaccinated. They are being set up now. There will also be a community rollout, including GPs and pharmacists.”
The army is converting seven venues and stadia across England to serve as mass vaccination centres, The Daily Telegraph reported last night.
They include Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City football club, Epsom racecourse, and London’s Nightingale hospital.
Early analysis of the vaccine showed that it can prevent up to 95 per cent of people from getting coronavirus, including 94 per cent in older age groups. The vaccine has been tested on 43,500 in six countries, and no safety concerns were raised.
Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, said: “This is excellent news and a huge landmark in the global efforts to address this pandemic. The regulators have clearly been satisfied with the data presented to them.
“Given we will certainly need more than one licensed vaccine to maximise global coverage, everyone will still be eagerly waiting for further developments from Oxford and Moderna. But, for now, this is wonderful news to wake up to.”
Other experts struck a cautious note, however. David Salisbury, the former director of immunisation at the Department of Health, warned it was “hard to judge” whether the end of the pandemic was in sight.
“We’ve got to protect the most vulnerable, and then we’ve got to stop transmission,” he told the Today. “I see that as a bigger challenge.”
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, urged ministers to set out a plan to roll out jabs safely.
He tweeted: “Thank you to all those involved in this wonderful news – from the brilliant scientists to the trial volunteers. We must now ensure vaccines are rolled out safely but swiftly across the country.”
Angela Rayner, its deputy leader, said: “The government needs to put in place a plan to roll out the vaccine rapidly. They failed on PPE, failed on testing and failed on track and trace. We cannot afford another failure.”
Nadim Zahawi, the newly appointed minister appointed for overseeing the vaccination rollout, said that the news was a “major step forward in the fight against Covid”.
Alok Sharma, the business secretary, tweeted: “To everyone involved in this breakthrough: thank you. In years to come, we will remember this moment as the day the UK led humanity’s charge against this disease.”
updated
Rhys Blakely | Matthew Robinson
Wednesday December 02 2020, 8.30am, The Times
Health
NHS
Albert Bourla, the chairman and chief executive of Pfizer, hailed the announcement and said it was a “historic moment in the fight against Covid-19
JOEL SAGET/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Britain has become the first western nation to license a vaccine against coronavirus, paving the way for mass rollout of the jab across the country in the coming weeks.
The vaccine developed by Pfizer-Biontech was approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency this morning, ahead of similar decisions in the US and Europe.
Trials have indicated that the jab is 95 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic Covid overall and protects 94 per cent of people over the age of 65.
We will bring the stories of the day to life with warmth, wit and expertise. Listen for free on DAB radio, your smart speaker, online at times.radio, and via the Times Radio app
Start listening
The UK has secured 40 million doses, enough for 20 million people, with the first 800,000 expected to arrive within days.
Sir Simon Stevens, the NHS chief executive, said the health service was preparing for “the largest-scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history”.
It can begin because the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the Pfizer-Biontech inoculation for use. “This follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness,” a spokesperson for the health department said.
The joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, a panel of independent experts, “will shortly also publish its latest advice for the priority groups to receive the vaccine, including care home residents, health and care staff, the elderly and the clinically extremely vulnerable”, the spokesperson added.
Britain’s doses of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine will come from a factory in Puurs in Belgium. One potential obstacle is the fact that it must be stored in ultra-cold conditions of about minus 70C and experts had warned that its introduction could be slowed by the need for specialised equipment. Pfizer has since said that it can be stored in a normal fridge for up to five days, which would give the NHS more flexibility.
The vaccine works by injecting a tiny amount of genetic material, known as mRNA, into a person. This prompts human cells to produce a protein found on the surface of the coronavirus, teaching the immune system how to fend off the real pathogen.
Albert Bourla, the chairman and chief executive of Pfizer, hailed the announcement and said it was a “historic moment in the fight against Covid-19”. “The NHS has decades of experience in delivering large-scale vaccination programmes and will begin putting their extensive preparations into action to provide care and support to all those eligible for vaccination,” he said.
“To aid the success of the vaccination programme it is vital everyone continues to play their part and abide by the necessary restrictions in their area so we can further suppress the virus and allow the NHS to do its work without being overwhelmed.”
Boris Johnson tweeted: “It’s fantastic that MHRA has formally authorised the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19. The vaccine will begin to be made available across the UK from next week. It’s the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again.”
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said that “help is on its way” and that the “NHS stands ready to start vaccinating early next week”.
He told BBC Breakfast that only 800,000 doses of the vaccine would be available next week.
Admitting that ministers “hadn’t put a finger” on the number of doses available before Christmas, he said that Pfizer’s manufacturing capacity would determine the speed of the rollout.
He told Sky News that the UK was the first country in the world to have a “clinically authorised vaccine” and that the joint committee on vaccine and immunisation would outline its priority list for vaccinations today.
“This is fantastic news. The MHRA, the fiercely independent regulator has clinically authorised the vaccine rollout. The NHS stands ready to make that happen,” he said. “So, from early nearly we will start the programme of vaccinating people against Covid-19 here in this country.
“The joint committee on vaccinations and immunisation is the clinical committee that advises the government on the priority and who gets the vaccine in what order. They will be setting out details of that prioritisation later this morning, along with the MHRA, who will set out the clinical details behind this vaccine and why they’ve taken the decision to authorise it.”
Mr Hancock said that there were “three modes of delivery” of the vaccine, including in hospitals, vaccination centres and in the community.
“Fifty hospitals across the country are already set up and waiting to receive the vaccine as soon as it’s approved, so that can now happen,” he said. “Also vaccination centres, which will be big centres where people can go to get vaccinated. They are being set up now. There will also be a community rollout, including GPs and pharmacists.”
The army is converting seven venues and stadia across England to serve as mass vaccination centres, The Daily Telegraph reported last night.
They include Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City football club, Epsom racecourse, and London’s Nightingale hospital.
Early analysis of the vaccine showed that it can prevent up to 95 per cent of people from getting coronavirus, including 94 per cent in older age groups. The vaccine has been tested on 43,500 in six countries, and no safety concerns were raised.
Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, said: “This is excellent news and a huge landmark in the global efforts to address this pandemic. The regulators have clearly been satisfied with the data presented to them.
“Given we will certainly need more than one licensed vaccine to maximise global coverage, everyone will still be eagerly waiting for further developments from Oxford and Moderna. But, for now, this is wonderful news to wake up to.”
Other experts struck a cautious note, however. David Salisbury, the former director of immunisation at the Department of Health, warned it was “hard to judge” whether the end of the pandemic was in sight.
“We’ve got to protect the most vulnerable, and then we’ve got to stop transmission,” he told the Today. “I see that as a bigger challenge.”
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, urged ministers to set out a plan to roll out jabs safely.
He tweeted: “Thank you to all those involved in this wonderful news – from the brilliant scientists to the trial volunteers. We must now ensure vaccines are rolled out safely but swiftly across the country.”
Angela Rayner, its deputy leader, said: “The government needs to put in place a plan to roll out the vaccine rapidly. They failed on PPE, failed on testing and failed on track and trace. We cannot afford another failure.”
Nadim Zahawi, the newly appointed minister appointed for overseeing the vaccination rollout, said that the news was a “major step forward in the fight against Covid”.
Alok Sharma, the business secretary, tweeted: “To everyone involved in this breakthrough: thank you. In years to come, we will remember this moment as the day the UK led humanity’s charge against this disease.”
Spursex
Alert Team
Covid-19: Lung damage 'identified' in study
By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent
Image copyright Getty Images
Covid-19 could be causing lung abnormalities still detectable more than three months after patients are infected, researchers suggest.
A study of 10 patients at Oxford University used a novel scanning technique to identify damage not picked up by conventional scans.
It uses a gas called xenon during MRI scans to create images of lung damage.
Lung experts said a test that could spot long-term damage would make a huge difference to Covid patients.
The xenon technique sees patients inhale the gas during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
Prof Fergus Gleeson, who is leading the work, tried out his scanning technique on 10 patients aged between 19 and 69.
Eight of them had persistent shortness of breath and tiredness three months after being ill with coronavirus, even though none of them had been admitted to intensive care or required ventilation, and conventional scans had found no problems in their lungs.
The results have prompted Prof Gleeson to plan a trial of up to 100 people to see if the same is true of people who had not been admitted to hospital and had not suffered from such serious symptoms. He is planning to work with GPs to scan people who have tested positive for Covid-19 across a range of age groups.
Moving the goalposts
The aim is to discover whether lung damage occurs and if so whether it is permanent, or resolves over time.
He said: "I was expecting some form of lung damage, but not to the degree that we have seen."
The risk of severe illness and death increases markedly for the over 60s. But if the trial discovers that the lung damage occurs across a wider age group and even in those not requiring admission to hospital "it would move the goalposts," according to Prof Gleeson.
Image caption In the scarred lungs, on the right, there are much larger areas of darkness, representing parts of the lungs that are having difficulty transporting oxygen into the blood stream
He believes the lung damage identified by the xenon scans may be one of the factors behind long Covid, where people feel unwell for several months after infection.
The scanning technique was developed by a research group at the University of Sheffield led by Prof James Wild who said it offered a "unique" way of showing lung damage caused by Covid-19 infection and its after-effects.
"In other fibrotic lung diseases we have shown the methods to be very sensitive to this impairment and we hope the work can help understand Covid-19 lung disease."
Dr Shelley Hayles is a GP based in Oxford involved in helping set up the trial. She believes that up to 10% of those who have had Covid-19 might have some form of lung damage which is leading to prolonged symptoms.
"We're now at more than one and a quarter million who have been infected - and 10% of that is a lot of people," she said.
"When medical staff tell patients that they don't know what's wrong with them and they don't know how to sort the symptoms out, it's very stressful.
"With most patients, even if the news isn't great, they want the diagnosis."
'I'd rather know'
That is true of Tim Clayden, who spent his 60th birthday at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with Covid symptoms that were so severe he believed that he would die. Fortunately he recovered but remains weary to this day. Tim was frustrated not knowing why he wasn't recovering to full health.
He said that he was simultaneously concerned and relieved when he received one of Prof Gleeson's scans which showed that his lungs were damaged.
"It does help knowing that there is an issue with your lungs," he says.
"I now know what it is. I know the origin of it. What I don't know, because no one does, is whether it is permanent or if it will pass. But I'd rather know than not know."
Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and innovation at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said: "This is an interesting investigation and it's important that post-Covid lung damage is looked into further and on a larger scale so we can better understand the longer term damage caused.
"If further investigation shows that lung damage occurs, it could enable the development of a test that can measure lung damage caused by Covid-19 which would make a huge difference to many people with 'long covid' respiratory issues and also allow specific treatments to be developed."
By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent
- 01 December 2020
- Health
Image copyright Getty Images
Covid-19 could be causing lung abnormalities still detectable more than three months after patients are infected, researchers suggest.
A study of 10 patients at Oxford University used a novel scanning technique to identify damage not picked up by conventional scans.
It uses a gas called xenon during MRI scans to create images of lung damage.
Lung experts said a test that could spot long-term damage would make a huge difference to Covid patients.
The xenon technique sees patients inhale the gas during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
Prof Fergus Gleeson, who is leading the work, tried out his scanning technique on 10 patients aged between 19 and 69.
Eight of them had persistent shortness of breath and tiredness three months after being ill with coronavirus, even though none of them had been admitted to intensive care or required ventilation, and conventional scans had found no problems in their lungs.
- Why is coronavirus such a threat?
- Coronavirus could leave thousands with lung damage
- The groundbreaking way to search lungs for signs of Covid-19
- Coronavirus could leave thousands with lung damage
The results have prompted Prof Gleeson to plan a trial of up to 100 people to see if the same is true of people who had not been admitted to hospital and had not suffered from such serious symptoms. He is planning to work with GPs to scan people who have tested positive for Covid-19 across a range of age groups.
Moving the goalposts
The aim is to discover whether lung damage occurs and if so whether it is permanent, or resolves over time.
He said: "I was expecting some form of lung damage, but not to the degree that we have seen."
The risk of severe illness and death increases markedly for the over 60s. But if the trial discovers that the lung damage occurs across a wider age group and even in those not requiring admission to hospital "it would move the goalposts," according to Prof Gleeson.
Image caption In the scarred lungs, on the right, there are much larger areas of darkness, representing parts of the lungs that are having difficulty transporting oxygen into the blood stream
He believes the lung damage identified by the xenon scans may be one of the factors behind long Covid, where people feel unwell for several months after infection.
The scanning technique was developed by a research group at the University of Sheffield led by Prof James Wild who said it offered a "unique" way of showing lung damage caused by Covid-19 infection and its after-effects.
"In other fibrotic lung diseases we have shown the methods to be very sensitive to this impairment and we hope the work can help understand Covid-19 lung disease."
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Dr Shelley Hayles is a GP based in Oxford involved in helping set up the trial. She believes that up to 10% of those who have had Covid-19 might have some form of lung damage which is leading to prolonged symptoms.
"We're now at more than one and a quarter million who have been infected - and 10% of that is a lot of people," she said.
"When medical staff tell patients that they don't know what's wrong with them and they don't know how to sort the symptoms out, it's very stressful.
"With most patients, even if the news isn't great, they want the diagnosis."
'I'd rather know'
That is true of Tim Clayden, who spent his 60th birthday at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with Covid symptoms that were so severe he believed that he would die. Fortunately he recovered but remains weary to this day. Tim was frustrated not knowing why he wasn't recovering to full health.
He said that he was simultaneously concerned and relieved when he received one of Prof Gleeson's scans which showed that his lungs were damaged.
"It does help knowing that there is an issue with your lungs," he says.
"I now know what it is. I know the origin of it. What I don't know, because no one does, is whether it is permanent or if it will pass. But I'd rather know than not know."
Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and innovation at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said: "This is an interesting investigation and it's important that post-Covid lung damage is looked into further and on a larger scale so we can better understand the longer term damage caused.
"If further investigation shows that lung damage occurs, it could enable the development of a test that can measure lung damage caused by Covid-19 which would make a huge difference to many people with 'long covid' respiratory issues and also allow specific treatments to be developed."
Based on the bottom section, let's hope that all the anti vaccination numpties' worst fears come true!
Spursex
Alert Team
Spursex
Alert Team
Pfizer vaccine: 50 hospitals across UK set up and waiting to receive jab in days
The UK has so far ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with 5 million due by the end of the year - enough to immunise 2.5 million people, which could start from next Monday
By
Abigail O'Leary
Matt Hancock says 'we'll be through Covid by spring' as first jabs start Monday
Matt Hancock says 'we'll be through Covid by spring' as first jabs start Monday
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there are 50 hospitals across UK already set up and waiting to receive the coronavirus vaccine within days
His comments come after the first vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech was approved for clinical use by regulators.
It could mean the first people are given vaccines from as early as Monday.
Mr Hancock said there would be "three modes of delivery" of the vaccine.
He said: "50 hospitals across the country are already set up and waiting to receive the vaccine as soon as it's approved, so that can now happen.
"Also vaccination centres, which will be big centres where people can go to get vaccinated. They are being set up now.
"There will also be a community rollout, including GPs and pharmacists.
Mr Hancock said there would be "three modes of delivery" of the vaccine (Image: George Cracknell Wright/LNP) Related Articles
"Now, of course, because of the -70C storage conditions of this vaccine, they will be able to support this rollout where they have those facilities.
"But they'll also be there should the AstraZeneca vaccine be approved because that doesn't have these cold storage requirements and so is operationally easier to roll out."
He added: "We're the first country in the world to have a clinically-authorised vaccine to roll out."
He went on: "So from early next week we will start that programme of vaccinating people against Covid-19 here in this country.
"And as we know from earlier announcements, this vaccine is effective. The MHRA have approved it as clinically safe. And we have a vaccine, so it's very good news."
He said he'd spoken to health ministers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to share the news and plans for the rollout.
He went on: "The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation is the clinical committee that advises the Government on the priority and who gets the vaccine in what order.
"They will be setting out details of that prioritisation later this morning, along with the MHRA, who will set out the clinical details behind this vaccine and why they've taken the decision to authorise it. That will happen mid-morning so that people can see all of the details.
"And also that prioritisation, which is set out according to clinical need.
Storage freezers where vials of Covid-19 vaccine are to be stored at Pfizer's facility (Image: PFIZER HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) Read More
"We've been supporting people who are clinically extremely valuable to Covid throughout this crisis."
But he said a vaccine passport a vaccine passport "isn't part of our plan".
"While we know that this vaccine protects you from getting ill with Covid - we don't yet know how much it stops you transmitting Covid until we roll it out broadly," he said.
"We will, of course, be monitoring that very carefully.
"Therefore, we will vaccinate according to protecting the people who need the protection most, according to those who are vulnerable from Covid.
"So, that is part of the plan. The plan is to get this rolled out, according to the clinical prioritisation that the advisers will set out."
The UK has so far ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with 5 million due by the end of the year - enough to immunise 2.5 million people, which could start from next Monday
By
Abigail O'Leary
- 08:26, 2 DEC 2020
- Updated08:44, 2 DEC 2020
Matt Hancock says 'we'll be through Covid by spring' as first jabs start Monday
Matt Hancock says 'we'll be through Covid by spring' as first jabs start Monday
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there are 50 hospitals across UK already set up and waiting to receive the coronavirus vaccine within days
His comments come after the first vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech was approved for clinical use by regulators.
It could mean the first people are given vaccines from as early as Monday.
Mr Hancock said there would be "three modes of delivery" of the vaccine.
He said: "50 hospitals across the country are already set up and waiting to receive the vaccine as soon as it's approved, so that can now happen.
"Also vaccination centres, which will be big centres where people can go to get vaccinated. They are being set up now.
"There will also be a community rollout, including GPs and pharmacists.
Mr Hancock said there would be "three modes of delivery" of the vaccine (Image: George Cracknell Wright/LNP) Related Articles
Coronavirus vaccine: Matt Hancock says 'we'll be through this by spring' as first jabs start Monday"Now, of course, because of the -70C storage conditions of this vaccine, they will be able to support this rollout where they have those facilities.
"But they'll also be there should the AstraZeneca vaccine be approved because that doesn't have these cold storage requirements and so is operationally easier to roll out."
He added: "We're the first country in the world to have a clinically-authorised vaccine to roll out."
He went on: "So from early next week we will start that programme of vaccinating people against Covid-19 here in this country.
"And as we know from earlier announcements, this vaccine is effective. The MHRA have approved it as clinically safe. And we have a vaccine, so it's very good news."
He said he'd spoken to health ministers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to share the news and plans for the rollout.
He went on: "The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation is the clinical committee that advises the Government on the priority and who gets the vaccine in what order.
"They will be setting out details of that prioritisation later this morning, along with the MHRA, who will set out the clinical details behind this vaccine and why they've taken the decision to authorise it. That will happen mid-morning so that people can see all of the details.
"And also that prioritisation, which is set out according to clinical need.
Storage freezers where vials of Covid-19 vaccine are to be stored at Pfizer's facility (Image: PFIZER HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) Read More
"We've been supporting people who are clinically extremely valuable to Covid throughout this crisis."
But he said a vaccine passport a vaccine passport "isn't part of our plan".
"While we know that this vaccine protects you from getting ill with Covid - we don't yet know how much it stops you transmitting Covid until we roll it out broadly," he said.
"We will, of course, be monitoring that very carefully.
"Therefore, we will vaccinate according to protecting the people who need the protection most, according to those who are vulnerable from Covid.
"So, that is part of the plan. The plan is to get this rolled out, according to the clinical prioritisation that the advisers will set out."
Greavswasthegreatest
Vital Football Legend
So EX have you come across the answer to this question at all amongst the medical journals, releases, and statements? I cannot find any statement about it.
If you have or get Covid 19 now, will they administer the vaccine and will that be effective in fighting it so reducing the likelyhood of death or long Covid? Vaccines prevent, but can they cure or help healing? I.e post as opposed to pre infection.
If you have or get Covid 19 now, will they administer the vaccine and will that be effective in fighting it so reducing the likelyhood of death or long Covid? Vaccines prevent, but can they cure or help healing? I.e post as opposed to pre infection.
Spursex
Alert Team
So today on the BBC those questions were asked; but there also being asked by every doctor in our trust and by the scientists.
Those that have had the vaccine are going to be continuously monitored until these questions can be answered definitively.
Firstly, what is know is that if you have had covid the amount of antibodies you have in reaction to it can be accurately measured - the vaccine cause the immune system to produce 100's time higher volumes and seems to do the same with T-cells. So as per other vital vaccines it may well be a permant solution, but at the minimum the scientists believe it will last much much longer than natural immunity.
So even if you have had covid, you will eventually be offered the vaccine as it will impart a greater immunity.
Like the flu vaccine, it's believed that if you catch covid after the vaccine, your body will lessen symptoms almost immediately, they are as yet unsure if it will block it completely.
You will therefore recover quickly and have less bad side effects from the infection - if any at all.
I get daily update email to be from multiple sources and research bodies if and when these questions start getting answered, I will be posting them here.
One scientist I know believes from his work that the vaccine(s) could well stop it dead in it's tracks for good if enough of us get vaccinated, he went into a big long explanation, but for now, it's just another theory.
Greavswasthegreatest
Vital Football Legend
Thanks EX....appreciate the feedback.
Nick Real Deal
Vital Football Legend
JVT in the conference yesterday said the virus will always be with us
Spursex
Alert Team
once a virus jumps the barrier that's technically correct, it may well be all about to what extent, or how we can modify to become harmless.
Nick Real Deal
Vital Football Legend
He got into hot water with Boris by suggesting some people may wish to wear masks and social distance in the future, be more aware. Boris didnt like it because it went against getting back to normality.
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Harry-Kari
Vital 1st Team Regular
Reports from the US yesterday of breathalyser-style Covid test products about to be released after CDC approval....could be game changers.
Harry-Kari
Vital 1st Team Regular
Before I ask this, I'm going to emphasis that I am not an anti-vaxer and I encourage those to please get it when they get the option to do so.
But does anyone know (or able to point me to an article on this) why the UK regulator has been able to approve this vaccine but the equivalents in other countries/regions haven't done so yet? I'm thinking mostly in terms of the US and EU regulators. You would image they would have a relatively similar approach to some degree in terms of how they review the trial data and what they expect from it. I presume each of these regulators have got access to the same data by now and so is there something that these bodies are questioning that the UK didn't think was a concern? And before we get the sort of response we've heard in the last few days of "my da is better than your da", has there been any actual explanation of why the UK's da is the dog's bollocks?
But does anyone know (or able to point me to an article on this) why the UK regulator has been able to approve this vaccine but the equivalents in other countries/regions haven't done so yet? I'm thinking mostly in terms of the US and EU regulators. You would image they would have a relatively similar approach to some degree in terms of how they review the trial data and what they expect from it. I presume each of these regulators have got access to the same data by now and so is there something that these bodies are questioning that the UK didn't think was a concern? And before we get the sort of response we've heard in the last few days of "my da is better than your da", has there been any actual explanation of why the UK's da is the dog's bollocks?
Nick Real Deal
Vital Football Legend
An article in The Guardian from Friday by Sarah Boseley their health editor might help. One key point is the trust in manufacturers data shown by our MHRA . Other countries prefer to work with their own data.
Greavswasthegreatest
Vital Football Legend
Pretty pretty worrying then...how can anyone really trust these big corporate pharmaceutical 'money making machines' Their track records in putting out awful life changing solutions as shown by the court cases, and heavy fines they seem to brush off as 'part of the business we are in', ESPECIALLY in US companies.
