CSL staff will work in the laboratory on November 8, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia, where they will begin manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca-Oxford University.
Darrian Traynor | Getty Images
LONDON – The UK drug regulator on Friday approved Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the country.
It is the third authorized shot in Britain, following previous approvals for Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines, and the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.
In a statement, the country’s Health Department said the Modern vaccine meets the “strict safety, efficacy and quality standards” of the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency.
He added that the UK had ordered an additional 10 million doses of the vaccine, which reached 17 million. They are expected to be available starting in the spring.
The MHRA authorized the Modern vaccine after months of rigorous clinical trials with tens of thousands of people, according to the statement. He added that it is 94% effective in preventing Covid, including the elderly.
“This is another great piece of news and another weapon in our arsenal to tame this terrible disease,” Health and Welfare Secretary Matt Hancock said in a statement.
The UK has already vaccinated around 1.5 million people and Hancock said Friday’s approval will allow the country to further accelerate its vaccination program.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Britain has reported nearly 2.9 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 78,600 related deaths.
The country is currently battling a new strain of the virus that is more transmissible and on Thursday reported its second highest number of daily deaths from Covid (1,162).