UK starts vaccinating - 18th December 2020

Britain has reached a turning point in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine and has started vaccinating people.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson attended Guy's Hospital in London to observe the first vaccinations on what some people have called "V Day". He stressed the importance of people getting the vaccination.

Johnson: "One in three people is passing it on without even having any symptoms at all yourself. Do you see what I mean? So you can be a secret spreader of the disease, and I don’t think people have grasped that. And it’s very, very important in the weeks ahead that everybody understands that."

Everyone who is vaccinated will need a second dose 21 days after the first one. Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine. This will be enough to vaccinate 20 million people.

The first patient in line for the injection was 90 year old grandmother Margaret Keenan.

Keenan: "At the moment I don't know how I feel. It’s just so, just so strange and so wonderful really. Yes. Anyway, this is for a good cause so I'm so pleased I had it done."

The over 80s, care home workers and health workers will be the priority group for early vaccination. It is also thought Queen Elizabeth will be among the first to receive a dose because she is 94 years old. It is hoped her participation will encourage others to get the vaccine.

Meanwhile, work continues on other vaccines around the world. Companies and governments are keen to see the pandemic over as soon as is humanly possible.