THE nation breathed a huge sigh of relief this week after it was announced the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) – making the UK the first country in the world to approve a vaccine for Covid-19.
This is fantastic news, and along with recent positive announcements regarding the Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines, we can finally see light at the end of this long and dark tunnel.
The speed at which scientists and pharmaceutical companies have worked to produce this vaccine is phenomenal, with safety at no point being sacrificed for speed. We have said from the start that a vaccine must be both safe and effective before we would ever consider deploying it.
Vaccines are required to go through a rigorous process of clinical trials, involving thousands of people, and a huge deal of thanks should be given to everybody who volunteered for the trials. It is down to the substantial investment from governments and pharmaceutical companies, and the hard work of scientists and researchers, that the process of developing and producing a vaccine could be scaled up so significantly.
The vaccine development process was no different to any other, and no less stringent – the same number of people were tested, and the same amount of data was gathered. However, the collective will to develop a vaccine and unprecedented cooperation meant everything was sped up exceptionally. Oversight from the MHRA was no less thorough either, with the data being analysed incredibly closely. As such, this vaccine is both safe and effective, and I would encourage people not to read into silly stories on the internet.
Now begins the process of delivering the vaccine – which will be a huge logistical undertaking. The government has been working on a potential vaccination programme for months in anticipation of a vaccine being developed, and I am very pleased that the rollout will begin as early as next week.
The NHS has decades of experience in delivering large-scale vaccination programmes – already 12 million people have been vaccinated against flu this winter. They are now putting their extensive preparations into operation for our Covid-19 vaccine deployment programme. They are in the process of establishing vaccination centres across the country that can manage the logistical challenge of storing the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at minus 70 degrees, while also establishing vaccination hubs in hospitals for NHS staff.
It is only right that the most at risk of serious complications from COVID are prioritised, along with key healthcare professionals. While the programme will work as fast as it can, it will be a massive undertaking, so some of us will have to be patient and wait our turn – myself included.
Turning to a different topic, tomorrow is Small Business Saturday – a campaign which celebrates small businesses and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and support the smaller, independent businesses in their communities.
As residents will be aware, I have often campaigned in support of small businesses and retailers, including during my time as the All-Party Parliamentary Chair for Retail – and there are so many fantastic ones in Swindon.
Covid-19 has hit small businesses the hardest – making this year’s Small Business Saturday more important than ever. So please consider shopping locally and supporting our local businesses – vital to not just these businesses, but also local employment.
