Britain will start rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday, the first Western country to start vaccinating its general population in what was hailed as a decisive watershed in defeating the coronavirus.
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The mass inoculation will fuel hope that the world may be turning a corner in the fight against a pandemic that has crushed economies and killed more than 1.5 million, although ultra-cold storage and tricky logistics will limit its use for now.
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Britain is the worst-hit European country from Covid-19, with over 61,000 deaths, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to turn the tide against the disease by rolling out the PfizerBioNTech vaccine before the United States or European Union.
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Britain approved the vaccine for emergency use less than a week ago, and is rolling it out through its National Health Service (NHS).
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In total Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the PfizerBioNTech shot. As each person requires two doses, that is enough to vaccinate 20 million people in the country of 67 million.
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About 800,000 doses are expected to be available within the first week, with care home residents and carers, the over 80s and some health service workers the top priority to get them.
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Pfizer and BioNTech said their shot proved 95% effective in preventing illness in final-stage trials. In all, Britain has ordered 357 million doses of seven different Covid-19 vaccines.
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Russia and China have both started giving vaccine candidates to their populations before final safety and efficacy trials have been completed.
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