The pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech assured on Wednesday that they have obtained permission for the emergency use of their vaccine against COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.
It is
the first country to authorize the coronavirus vaccine for emergency use
, with the approval of the Medical and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
[Follow our coverage on the coronavirus pandemic]
Health Secretary Matt Hancock assured that vaccines will be ready next week.
"Help is on the way," Hancock wrote.
The vaccine was found to be 95 percent effective in preventing Covid-19 symptoms, the pharmacist said after clinical trials.
Pfizer said it will start shipping limited supplies to the UK immediately and has been preparing for even wider distribution if the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives a similar go-ahead, a decision that will be wait for next week.
[The pharmaceutical company Pfizer asks the US for emergency authorization to distribute it]
Yet doses everywhere are in short supply, and initial supplies will be rationed until more are made in the first months of next year.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called the UK's decision "a historic moment."
"We are focused on moving forward with the same level of urgency to safely deliver a high-quality vaccine around the world," Bourla said in a statement.