THE NEWLY-APPROVED Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and researchers at Oxford University is set to be rolled out in Northern Ireland from next week.
Work on the vaccine has been led by Professor Adrian Hill, an Irish vaccinologist and the director of the Jenner Institute, which designs and develops vaccines for infectious diseases.
The rollout of the new vaccine comes after the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and Health Secretary Matt Hancock approved the use of the jab.
As many as 50,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are already available to Northern Ireland, with further supplies set to be arranged in the New Year.
Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster has welcomed news of the vaccine’s approval
She said she was “delighted” with the progress of the treatment.
"The world class strength & brilliance of UK scientists means our wider vaccination programme should start across Northern Ireland next week,” she said.
"80% of care homes have already received their first dose of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine."
Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride, meanwhile, paid tribute to not only the scientists and pharmaceutical companies behind the jab but also those who volunteered for the clinical trials required for the vaccine to gain approval.
“To now have a second vaccine authorised in the UK a matter of weeks after the first is a credit to all who contributed,” he said.
"I commend our scientists and pharmaceutical company partners, the MHRA and most importantly every single person who contributed to the clinical trials including those from Northern Ireland.
"This is a vaccine that we can take more readily to people. It will make the task of vaccinating those most at risk and then the entire population over 50 years much more achievable.”
Northern Ireland's Health Minister Robin Swann, meanwhile, noted that while the vaccine is likely to “transform” the situation facing Northern Ireland, it would still “take time”.
“Today’s announcement is extremely welcome news and helps us look forward to the New Year with optimism and hope," he said.
“The vaccine programme will transform the situation but that will take time.
"Between now and then, we need another big push to get through these next few months.
"We can all play our part in supporting the health service and in protecting each other from Covid-19.
"Please follow the public health advice to stop it spreading and please strictly abide by the current lockdown rules.”
More than 33,000 people have already been vaccinated in Northern Ireland as part of the rollout programme for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
