The United Kingdom is preparing to become the first country to roll out the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine this week, initially making the shot available at hospitals before distributing stocks to doctors clinics.
Key points:
- The NHS is prioritising people over 80, frontline health workers and care home staff and residents
- The first doses are set to be administered on Tuesday, UK time
- The UK has ordered 40 million doses, enough to vaccinate 20 million people
The first doses are set to be administered on Tuesday, UK time, with the National Health Service (NHS) giving top priority to vaccinating the people aged over 80, frontline healthcare workers, and care home staff and residents.
The UK gave emergency use approval for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech last week — jumping ahead in the global race to begin the mass inoculation program.
In total, the UK has ordered 40 million doses — enough to vaccinate 20 million people in the country of 67 million.