Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for emergency use in the UK

December 30, 2020

Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for emergency use in the UK

astrazeneca covid vaccine — The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine - enough for 50 million people.
VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images

The UK has authorized emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine for use.
The country has ordered 100 million doses, enough for 50 million people.
The vaccine can be stored in a standard refrigerator.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Following months of testing, a coronavirus vaccine created by Oxford-AstraZeneca has been authorized for emergency use by the United Kingdom.

The vaccine was designed early on in the pandemic, and trials on it began in April. It's the second vaccine, after Pfizer BioNTech's, to be authorized in the UK.

The vaccine was approved under Regulation 174 of the Human Medicine Regulations 2012, which allows for the rapid approval of treatments for public health crises.

The UK has ordered 100 million doses - enough for 50 million people - and according to AstraZeneca, doses should become available early in the new year.

The vaccine is a viral vector vaccine and can be stored in a standard refrigerator, unlike other vaccines that require cold storage.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told the BBC that priority would be to "give as many people in at-risk groups their first dose, rather than providing the required two doses in as short a time as possible."

Recipients must receive a follow-up booster dose within 12 weeks of receiving their first dose.

Oxford-AstraZeneca faced criticism in November after it was revealed there was a dosing error during trials for the vaccine, and that it had combined effectiveness rates from two different trial groups in a press release to announce a 70% effectiveness rate.

In reality, one group of test subjects under 55 erroneously received a smaller dose of the vaccine than another group who received a larger dose. It was found that the smaller dose of the vaccine was actually more effective than the larger dose, at a rate of 90% to 62%.

Scientists, including the head of Operation Warp Speed in the US, Moncef Slaoui, expressed concerns over a potential misrepresentation of the vaccine's effectiveness, particularly because the vaccine over-performed in the lower-risk under-55 age group.

This story is breaking. Check back for updates.

Read the original article on Business Insider