COVID-19 vaccine batches arrived in U.K hospitals in readiness for the first jabs on Tuesday, according to The Guardian. The first shots will be given at 50 hospital hubs in England and others in Scotland, Wales, and North Ireland to people aged over 80.
- U.K. will prioritize the most vulnerable people and those over 80 years, care home staffs, and NHS colleagues in the vaccination
- To ensure no vaccine is wasted, spare appointments will be granted to healthcare workers at high risk from the coronavirus.
- Mass vaccination centers will not open until further supplies of the vaccines next year.
- The U.K has bought 40 million Pfizer vaccine doses, enough for 20 million people, but most will arrive next year
- Over the weekend, NHS staff worked to prepare the immunization clinics and compile lists of who should be invited for the first jab.
- Despite progress, logistical hurdles are a challenge since Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has to be stored in deep-frozen packs containing 975 doses at minus 70C that cannot be split into small batches.
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