UK to Roll-out Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine Next Tuesday

British government said, Sunday, that UK is preparing to become the first country to roll out the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week, making the shot available at hospitals before distributing stocks to doctors clinics.

The first doses are going to be given next Tuesday, as the National Health Service (NHS) will give top priority to vaccinating people over the age of 80, healthcare workers, and care home staff.

In total, UK has requested 40 million doses, enough to give vaccines to 20 million people in the country of 67 million citizens.

It is expected that about 800 thousand doses will be available within the first week.

UK gave precautions for using the vaccine, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech last week, which made her ahead in the global race to begin the most crucial mass inoculation program in history.

The initial doses, arrived from Belgium, are being stored in safe locations across the country where they will be checked for quality, according to UK’s Health Ministry’s statement.

The Pfizer/BioNTech  vaccine entails cumbersome storage requirements. It must be stored at 70°C (-94°F) and only lasts five days in a regular fridge. That’s why the Ministry of Health said that the vaccine will be given first in 50 hospitals, as they will need a few hours to defrost the vaccine and prepare it for use.

The two companies have announced from preliminary results that the vaccine is 95% effective and in particular, is 94% effective in people over the age of 65 who are more at risk of developing severe COVID-19.

“The Emergency Use Authorization in the UK will mark the first time citizens outside of the trials will have the opportunity to be immunized against COVID-19,” said Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of German company BioNTech.

“We believe that the roll-out of the vaccination program in the U.K. will reduce the number of people in the high-risk population being hospitalized,” Sahin added in a statement.