From hospital hubs to doctor-run centres: UK’s plan for Covid-19 vaccine roll-out

Britain will become the first western country to deploy a Covid-19 vaccine after regulators approved the Pfizer-BioNTech shot on Wednesday.

Britain is gearing up to deploy its first Covid-19 vaccine with plans to provide the shot at more than 1,000 centres across the country over the coming weeks. The vaccine, created by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE, has arrived at secure locations in Britain from Belgium, the department of health and social care said on Sunday.

The vaccine, created by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, has arrived at secure locations in Britain from Belgium, the Department of Health and Social Care said on Sunday. (Bloomberg)

Britain will become the first western country to deploy a Covid-19 vaccine after regulators approved the Pfizer-BioNTech shot on Wednesday.

Here’s how the UK is preparing for the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine:

1. Following quality checks to ensure the vaccines have been kept at the correct temperature, the shots will be made available to 50 hospital hubs around the country, before being distributed to doctor-run vaccination centres that will administer them.

2. The government has bought 40 million doses from the companies, enough to inoculate 20 million people on the two-dose regimen. The shots will be given in order of priority, with the first vaccines going to those in care homes, including frontline workers and people over 80 years of age.

4. When more of the vaccine becomes available, smaller sites like local pharmacies will also be involved in administering the vaccines, the government has said.

5. About 800,000 doses are expected to be available within the first week in the country with a population of 67 million.

(With agency inputs)