SHOT IN THE ARM
Oxford Covid vaccine submitted for approval in ‘great hope for 2021’ with millions set to get jab in January
OXFORD'S coronavirus vaccine has been sent to regulators for approval in a huge boost in the fight against the coronavirus.
Matt Hancock today announced the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab developed in Britain has been sent for sign off - with approval expected in just days.
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The British jab is expected to make waves in curbing the spread of Covid-19 across the world if approved, as it is cheaper and easier to distribute than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
The British government has ordered more than 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine and roughly 40 million of these will be available by the end of March.
'GREAT HOPE'
Speaking at today’s government press conference Matt Hancock said: "Amid all this difficulty, the great hope for 2021 is of course the vaccine.
"The vaccine is our route out of all this and however tough this Christmas and this winter is going to be, we know that the transforming force of science is helping to find a way through.
“I'm delighted to be able to tell you that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine developed here in the UK has submitted its full data package to the MHRA for approval.
“This is the next step towards a decision on the deployment of the vaccine, which is already being manufactured, including here in the UK.
How does the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine work?
The vaccine - called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 - uses a harmless, weakened version of a common virus which causes a cold in chimpanzees.
Researchers have already used this technology to produce vaccines against a number of pathogens including flu, Zika and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers).
The virus is genetically modified so that it is impossible for it to grow in humans.
Scientists have transferred the genetic instructions for coronavirus's specific "spike protein" - which it needs to invade cells - to the vaccine.
When the vaccine enters cells inside the body, it uses this genetic code to produce the surface spike protein of the coronavirus.
This induces an immune response, priming the immune system to attack coronavirus if it infects the body.
It differs from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines because they use messenger RNA technology (mRNA).
Conventional vaccines are produced using weakened forms of the virus, but mRNAs use only the virus's genetic code.
An mRNA vaccine is injected into the body where it enters cells and tells them to create antigens.
These antigens are recognised by the immune system and prepare it to fight coronavirus.
No actual virus is needed to create an mRNA vaccine. This means the rate at which the vaccine can be produced is accelerated
“We are, of course, continuing to deploy the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which is being delivered now from over 500 sites all across the UK and we're adding more all the time and accelerating the roll-out."
The UK was the first country in the world to start using the Pfizer vaccine after regulators approved its use earlier this month.
Meanwhile The European Union's medicines regulator approved the vaccine just two days ago.
More than half a million people in the UK have already received their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from across more than 500 sites.
The UK has enough doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to jab 20 million people.
Because the Pfizer vaccine must be stored at temperatures of minus 70C, it is difficult to transport and store.
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However the Oxford vaccine does not need to be stored at such low temperatures, meaning it will be easier to be distributed across the country.
So far priority for the vaccine has been given to health and social care workers, care home residents and staff, and over-80s.
Another vaccine, Moderna, is also seeking approval from UK regulators.
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