UK approves Moderna vaccine for rollout against COVID-19

Nurse Laura Bailey draws the Moderna vaccine from the first batch of Moderna`s vaccine at Hartford hospital in Hartford, Connecticut on December 21, 2020. Pic/AFP

The UK's regulatory authority on Friday approved a third COVID-19 vaccine for use in the country, made by the company Moderna.

However, supplies of the new jab are not expected to be available until the spring in a few weeks' time as the UK has pre-ordered 7 million doses. In trials with more than 30,000, the Moderna vaccine offered nearly 95 per cent protection from severe COVID.

The Moderna vaccine works in a similar way to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that is already being offered by the National Health Service (NHS). It requires temperatures of around -20C for shipping -- similar to a normal freezer. In comparison, the Pfizer/BioNTech one requires temperatures closer to -75C, making transport logistics much more difficult.

The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is easier to store and distribute, as it can be kept at normal fridge temperature.

All three vaccines, now cleared for use in the UK, require a second booster shot.

Around 1.5 million people in the UK have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine so far, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs.

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