The Pfizer/Biontech coronavirus vaccine has arrived in the UK ready for distribution to the public, according to reports.
Freight deliveries from Belgium have hit UK shores and will now transport the vaccine at -70C across the devolved nations.
UK on Wednesday became the first country in the world to give the green light for the Pfizer vaccine, and has ordered 40m doses — enough to vaccinate 20m people.
An initial shipment of 800,000 doses has passed UK “batch testing”, and will be send out to vaccinate the most vulnerable members of the population from next week.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the NHS is preparing for rollout of the vaccine across 50 hospital hubs from next week.
However, he urged cautious optimism over the timeline of the vaccine rollout, warning that it would come with “immense logistical challenges”.
ir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, told a Downing Street press briefing yesterday that the temperature requirements of the jab would present significant transit limitations.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has so far refused to grant approval for the vaccine containers, each holding 975 doses, to be split up.
