Conor Stewart
Research expert covering health & pharmaceuticals in the UK & Europe
On December 8, 2020, the COVID-19 vaccination commenced in the United Kingdom after the country become the first in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine six days earlier. The roll-out's initial phase was aimed at care home residents, individuals aged over 80, and frontline health workers. By mid-April 2021, the UK had managed to offer all over 50-year olds, health workers on the frontline, people with underlying health conditions, and those classed as clinically vulnerable a first dose of a vaccine. As of February 7, 2022, around 52.4 million people in the UK had received a first dose of a COVID vaccine. The success of the vaccination program could be illustrated in the number of people being admitted to hospital is not matching the high peaks associated with high transmission numbers prior to the vaccination campaign.
How did the UK approve the vaccine before anyone else?
The ability of the UK to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech before other European countries was claimed by some British politicians to be thanks to the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. However, the UK was still within the transition period of leaving the EU in December when approval was first given. Furthermore, any EU country could have used their national drugs regulator to endorse the use of the vaccine before the European Medicines Agency (the European-wide vaccine regulator). This was seen later when Hungary granted the use of vaccines from China and Russia before receiving the green light from the EMA. The UK raised further eyebrows across Europe when it also announced that instead of giving recipients of the vaccine two doses 28 days apart, as was done in the clinical trials, the window between doses would be extended to up to 12 weeks. This move enabled the UK to prioritize giving one dose to many more people at the beginning of the vaccination drive. As a result, the rate of vaccination in the UK was much higher than in many of the countries in the EU in the initial vaccination phase.UK faith in AstraZeneca despite worries in Europe
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (now also known as Vaxzevria) was developed through collaboration between Oxford University and AstraZeneca. The vaccine was approved for use in the UK in late December 2020, and then in the EU in January 2021. The vaccine was, at the outset, a source of great optimism because of the low cost of the vaccine and relatively simple storage requirements. However, in March 2021, along with reports of blood clots arising in patients who had received the AstraZeneca shot, several European countries announced the suspension of the vaccine due to safety concerns. This was contrary to the advice given by health organizations and hindered further the already sluggish vaccination programs in the EU. The use of the vaccine in the UK was continuous despite the suspension in the EU. The reputation of the AstraZeneca vaccine had already received some knocks among the European public even before the suspension due to blood clot concerns. Almost immediately following approval, it was announced deliveries of the vaccine to the EU would be behind schedule and would be much lower than initially expected. This caused a major dispute between the UK and the EU, which led the president of the European Commission to threaten a halt of vaccine exports to the UK. Although the threat was ultimately not carried out, the EU firmly believed that the company should prioritize supply to the EU.
