Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed the arrival of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, calling it a “triumph of British science,” media reports said.
“The Oxford vaccine is a triumph of British science and I want to thank everyone involved in its development and production. From tomorrow, the NHS will start using the Oxford vaccine to give protection against Covid-19,” the Prime Minister said.
He further said that he is confident that in 2021 “we will defeat coronavirus,” the Daily Mail reported. This comes as the first batches of the Oxford vaccine arrived at UK hospitals.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the media that the initial 530,000 doses will be available from Monday. This comes as an addition to the Pfizer drug that has been used to inoculate people in Britain since December 8 last year.
Hancock added: “The vaccine is our way out and this huge achievement brings us a step closer to the normality we've all been working hard to reclaim.”
A source quoted by the Daily Mail revealed that the government planned to deliver up to 1.5 million vaccines this week alone. This comprised 5,30,000 Oxford doses and a million Pfizer shots.