Britain set to approve Pfizer's vaccine for roll-out

LONDON • Britain is set to approve the Covid-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer this week and deliveries would begin within hours of the authorisation, the Financial Times reported.

The first immunisations using the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine could take place from Dec 7, the FT said, citing unnamed sources.

Britain said on Nov 20 it had formally asked its medical regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, to assess the vaccine for its suitability, the first step in making it available outside the United States.

Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine, which has been found to be 95 per cent effective in preventing the spread of the virus.

The government also asked the regulator last Friday to assess AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine for a possible roll-out.

The US health authorities will also hold an emergency meeting this week to recommend that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine awaiting approval be given first to healthcare workers and people in long-term care facilities.

The meeting, announced last Friday by a US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention committee on immunisations, suggests the Food and Drug Administration might be close to authorising distribution of the medication.

United Airlines has begun moving shipments of the vaccine on charter flights to ensure it can be quickly distributed once it is approved, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Some countries have already launched limited vaccination campaigns.

Russia's military aims to inoculate more than 400,000 servicemen, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said, adding that more than 2,500 soldiers had already been vaccinated and that by the end of the year, the number was expected to reach 80,000.

40 million - Number of doses of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer that Britain has ordered.

>2,500 - Number of Russia's soldiers who have already been vaccinated. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that by the end of the year, the number was expected to reach 80,000. Russia last week said that its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine was 95 per cent effective, according to preliminary data.

Russia last week said that its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine was 95 per cent effective, according to preliminary data.

Sputnik V's developers have touted it as easier to store than some alternatives and at less than US$10 (S$13.40) per dose, the cheapest among front runners in a global race to develop a vaccine.

The Sputnik V vaccine was registered in August and is currently undergoing its third and final stage of trials involving more than 40,000 volunteers.

While hopes are growing that a number of vaccines will soon be approved, the virus is still spreading rapidly, forcing national and local governments to enforce tough measures to try to curb infections.

A surge in coronavirus cases will put San Francisco under a curfew beginning today and trigger other restrictions related to the virus, the city announced.

The curfew requires non-essential businesses to close and prohibits members of different households from gathering between 10pm and 5am until Dec 21, Mayor London Breed said.

Despite the risks, the virus, which has infected more than 62 million people worldwide, has not deterred sport in some countries.

In China, around 9,000 runners - some wearing face masks - took part in the Shanghai International Marathon yesterday, Chinese media said.

In India, which has recorded more than nine million cases, some of the world's leading long-distance runners participated in a half-marathon in New Delhi yesterday, even as the country's capital grappled with a surge in Covid-19 cases and air pollution that has recently been among the world's worst.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE