Fantastic news.
Since the Pfizer vaccine was first approved for use in the UK in December 2020, many have been eagerly keeping up with the vaccine effort. It’s very much viewed as the key to allowing the country to slowly but surely move away from lockdown measures.
With over 30 million people in the UK having received at least one dose, we’re edging slowly towards that goal which seemed almost unobtainable just months beforehand.
And now, a third vaccine has joined its Oxford/AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech counterparts. The first Moderna vaccine has been given out this morning (April 7).
24-year-old carer Elle Taylor from Ammanford was given the coronavirus jab at the West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen. Taylor said she was “happy and honoured” to receive the first dose.
The UK government purchased an initial 17 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, enough to fully protect 8.5 million people from Covid-19.
The Moderna vaccine, albeit arriving later than initially hoped, has distinct advantages that make it easier to store and distribute. For instance, whilst the Pfizer vaccine must be stored at -70°C, the Moderna vaccine can be stored at -20°C for up to six months. The delay in its arrival was due to Moderna’s production capability, with the company struggling to fulfil the UK’s order along with the millions of doses ordered by the EU.