Covid-19 vaccine approved and to be rolled out ‘within days’
The army and NHS have started preparations for the distribution of a coronavirus now the UK has approved a vaccine.
Military personnel have been ordered to transform about 10 sites into vaccine hubs within a fortnight, the Telegraph has reported, including the Nightingale hospital at the London ExCel centre, Epsom racecourse, in Surrey, and Bristol’s Ashton Gate football stadium and Robertson House conference facility in Stevenage will serve the capital and south of England.
According to the Telegraph, the NHS has requested assistance from the Ministry of Defence. Sources told the newspaper a major hospital trust in London expects Britain’s first coronavirus vaccinations to take place as early as Monday, after the NHS appeared for volunteers to administer the jab from 7am that day.
A senior Government source told the Telegraph: “All of these preparations are being made in advance of any decision about any vaccine being approved by the independent regulator. If one vaccine is found to be safe and effective, we can move ahead quickly with distribution – because vaccinating millions of people is a significant logistical challenge.”
Final results published on Monday from the trials of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine confirmed it has 94 per cent efficacy with no serious side effects, kickstarting the approval process with regulators around the world.
The UK has bought 7m doses of the vaccine, including a 5m dose agreement struck on the day Moderna announced its interim result of 94.5 per cent efficacy, and a further 2m last week.