LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Monday becomes the first country to expand the cheap and easily transportable AstraZeneca and Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine, another step forward in the global response to the pandemic.
Six hospitals in England will administer the first dose of about 530,000 that Britain has ready. The program will be expanded to hundreds of other UK websites in the coming days, and the government hopes to deliver tens of millions of doses within months.
“This is a crucial moment in our fight against this horrific virus and I hope it gives everyone renewed hope that the end of this pandemic is in sight,” Health Minister Matt Hancock said in a statement.
Last month, Britain became the first country to use another vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, which has to be stored at very low temperatures. Britain has so far injected about one million people with it.
The Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine is cheaper and can be stored at refrigerator temperature, making it easier to transport and use. India approved the vaccine on Sunday for emergency use.
Cases of COVID-19 in Britain have increased sharply in recent weeks, fueled by a new and more transmissible variant of the virus. On Sunday, there were almost 55,000 new cases and in total more than 75,000 people in the country died with COVID-19 during the pandemic – the second highest toll in Europe.
Although the government was eager to promote its vaccination program as the farthest in the world, it had to balance the optimism of the message and plead the public to abide by the rules to prevent new infections.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that stricter restrictions are likely to be imposed, even with millions of citizens already living under the strictest level of rules.
The spread of the variant virus has also forced the government to change its approach to vaccination. Britain now gives priority to getting a first dose of a vaccine to as many people as possible over giving second doses. Delaying the spread of second shots can help stretch the supply.
The change in strategy provoked criticism from some British doctors.
Reporting by William James; Edited by Susan Fenton