Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid has welcomed news that the UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech Coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.
British regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) has authorised the vaccine for use from as early as next week.
The UK Government secured 40million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine – enough to inoculate 20million people. Over 300 million vaccine doses from other suppliers have also been pre-ordered by the UK Government pending MHRA approval.
It has been reported today that the UK Army(sic) will be drafted in to help with the logistics of a mass roll-out in Scotland.
Scottish Conservative MP for Banff and Buchan David Duguid said
This is really great news and I thank everyone involved in getting us to this stage.
The UK is the first country in the world to get regulatory approval for a Coronavirus vaccine – and thanks to the effort of the British government, we will have access to 40million doses across the UK.
As the Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said today, people in high priority groups will be at the front of the queue as the huge task of mass vaccination starts next week.
While this news is hugely welcome, it does not mean can afford to drop our guard.
We must all remain vigilant in the weeks and months ahead, particularly here in Aberdeenshire where cases have been rising.
It will take time for the vaccine to be fully rolled out to everybody that needs it.
But this is the light at the end of the tunnel that we have all been waiting for. It will allow us to eventually return to a form of normality here in Banff and Buchan and across the country.
