CSL staff are working in the laboratory on November 8, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia, where they will begin manufacturing the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.
Darrian Traynor | Getty Images
LONDON – The UK Medicines Authority approved the Modern coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the country on Friday.
This is the third blow that has been authorized in the UK, following previous approvals for vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech, and from Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
In a statement, the country’s Department of Health said the Moderna vaccine meets the “strict safety, efficacy and quality standards” of the Medicines and Medicines Regulatory Agency.
He added that the UK had ordered another 10 million doses of vaccine, reaching 17 million. They are expected to be available in the spring.
The MHRA authorized the Moderna vaccine after months of rigorous clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people, the statement said. He added that it is 94% effective in preventing Covid, including in the elderly.
“This is great news and another weapon in our arsenal to tame this terrible disease,” Health and Welfare Secretary Matt Hancock said in a statement.
Britain has already vaccinated about 1.5 million people, and Hancock said Friday’s approval will allow the country to further accelerate its vaccination program.
The UK has reported nearly 2.9 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 78,600 associated deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The country is currently battling a new strain of the virus, which is more transmissible, and on Thursday reported the second highest number of daily deaths from Covid at 1,162.