The United Kingdom, which concluded this Wednesday (8), completed one year of being the first person in the world to be vaccinated against Govt-19 outside the context of clinical trials.
On December 8, 2020, Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother known to friends as Maggie, became the first person to receive a Pfizer injection after medical approval, describing the moment as “the greatest thing that has ever happened”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson highlighted the UK’s initial success in the vaccine campaign, saying it was able to reopen the UK economy in July.
In light of concerns about the new Ômicron variant he called for another vaccination initiative for a one-scale booster program similar to the initial release, which led to the return of mandatory masks and travel restrictions.
“Since the first injection a year ago, today, our amazing vaccine release has saved hundreds of thousands of lives,” Johnson said in a statement.
“Vaccines are our first and best line of defense against the virus – so the best way to continue to protect yourself and your loved ones is to support the vaccination program and get encouragement as soon as you qualify.”
The UK has administered nearly 120 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine as first-dose, second-dose or boosters.
Scientists are concerned that the micron may be more diffuse than the currently dominant delta variant and have mutations associated with lower vaccine efficacy.
Pfizer announced this Wednesday (8) that its three-dose immunization agent protects against variant.
Health Secretary Sajid Javed said that although injections against Ômicron were less effective than previous variants, boosters should continue to provide better protection against serious diseases.
“We have been working tirelessly to launch a booster program to boost immunity after the appearance of the Ômicron variant,” Javid said.
(Report by Alistair Smout; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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