COVID-19 VACCINE BEING DEVELOPED BY PFIZER AND BIONTECH, HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE 90% EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING PEOPLE FROM GETTING THE VIRUS
Coronavirus:
Matt Hancock asks NHS to be ready to deploy COVID-19 vaccine from start of
December
The
health secretary tells England that care homes, the NHS, and elderly people
will be first in line for vaccination.
The
NHS has been asked to be ready to deploy a corona virus vaccine from the start
of December, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told Sky News
It
was announced on Monday that a Covid-19 vaccine, being developed by Pfizer and
BioNTech, has been found to be 90% effective in preventing people from getting
the virus.
Matt
Hancock described the development as “promising news” but, with England currently
less than a week into a month long lockdown, warned it was only “one step of
many we need to get out of this and to tackle this pandemic once and for all”.
“The
critical thing is that we all keep our resolve on the measures that are in
place now,” he added.
However,
Mr. Hancock revealed he had asked the NHS, which will be supported by the Armed
Forces, to “be ready from the start of December” for the deployment of a
vaccine.
He
said: “Of course there are many hurdles that still need to be gone over and we
haven’t seen the full safety data and obviously that is critical and we won’t
deploy a vaccine unless we can be confident in its clinical safety.
“But
we also do need to be ready should a vaccine be licensed and get through all
those hurdles and ready to roll it out.”
Mr.
Hancock said care home residents and staff, NHS and Social care staff, and then
elderly people would be first in line for vaccination.
But
the health secretary declined to add his voice to those who have said life
could be back to normal by spring next year.
The
British Medical Association has said coronavirus vaccines could be available
from GPs and large drive through sites 12 hours a day and seven days a week
Doctors
should get ready to start giving out jabs as soon as they are available the
medical union said..
The
BMA has told GP surgeries to be ready for “rapid delivery” of coronavirus
vaccines once they are approved by regulators.
Family
doctors are being given guidance on a new “directed enhanced service” that
would go beyond their normal hours to deliver vaccines 8am to 8pm Monday to
Sunday.
Patients
are set to be given two vaccine doses either 21 or 28 days apart.
As
well as GPs and chemists, vaccines could also be available at mass vaccination
centres that will operate “in a similar way to testing centres”, the union
added