Coronavirus vaccine roll-out expected within 3 months in UK: Report
As the world awaits a vaccine against COVID-19, Oxford University's vaccine will reportedly be mass rolled-out within three months. The scientists working on the vaccine—which is seen as leading the race for a successful vaccine against COVID-19—are hoping for regulatory approval before 2021 begins. The coronavirus pandemic has already claimed over a million lives across the globe. Here are more details.
What is the Oxford University's vaccine?
Officially dubbed AZD1222, the vaccine candidate in question is being jointly developed by the Oxford University and pharma giant AstraZeneca. It is one of the biggest COVID-19 vaccine projects in the UK and has been made from a weakened, genetically-modified version of a common cold virus, or adenovirus, that causes infections in chimpanzees, but cannot grow in the human body.
Full immunization program could be quicker than expected
Citing government scientists, The Times reported that a mass roll-out of a COVID-19 vaccine could be finished within three months. A full COVID-19 immunization program, which would exclude children, could be quicker than experts predicted, The Times reported. The report further stated that health officials estimate that every adult could receive a dose of the vaccine within six months.
UK considering plans to establish drive-through vaccination centers
Plans under consideration by the UK include a much wider group of healthcare staff to administer the vaccine, establishing drive-through vaccination centers, and recruiting members of the armed forces for assistance, The Times reported. The European Medicines Agency said that it has started reviewing the vaccine in real-time. The move is aimed at accelerating any approval process for the vaccine in the region.
Over 34 million infected by coronavirus; 1 million dead
According to the Johns Hopkins University's tracker, COVID-19—which is caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2—has affected 34.6 million people globally and killed over a million. The United States is the worst-hit nation with 7.3 million infections and over 2 lakh deaths. India is the second worst-hit, reporting 64,73,544 cases of COVID-19 and a death toll of 1,00,842, according to the Health Ministry's latest update.
