LONDON (Reuters) - On Tuesday, Britain will begin rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the first Western nation to begin vaccinating its general population in what was hailed as a key watershed in defeating the coronavirus.
The mass inoculation will fuel optimism that in the battle against a pandemic that has crushed economies and killed over 1.5 million, the world could be turning a corner, while ultra-cold storage and tricky logistics will restrict its usage for now.
Britain is COVID-19's worst-hit European country, with over 61,000 deaths, but by rolling out the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine before the United States or the European Union, Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to turn the tide against the disease.
Less than a week ago, Britain approved the vaccine for emergency use and is carrying it out through its national health service (NHS).
"The deployment of this vaccine marks a decisive turning point in the fight against the pandemic," said Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive. "NHS staff are proud to lead the way with this COVID jab as the first health service in the world to start vaccinating"
Overall, Britain purchased 40 million doses of the shot from Pfizer/BioNTech. Since each person needs two doses, that's enough to vaccinate 20 million of the country's 67 million citizens.
Within the first week, nearly 800,000 doses are expected to be available, with care home residents and nurses, the over 80s, and some health service staff being the highest priority to get them.
The roll-out offers a test case for distribution networks for Pfizer and BioNTech. The shot must be stored at a temperature of -70C (-94F) and will only last five days in a normal refrigerator.
Although Britain is relatively small and has strong infrastructure, it will first be introduced in 50 hospitals and can not yet be brought into care homes due to logistical challenges.
In final-stage trials, Pfizer and BioNTech said their shot was 95 percent successful in preventing illness. In total, 357 million doses of seven separate COVID-19 vaccines have been ordered by Britain.
Until final safety and efficacy trials were completed, Russia and China also began giving vaccine candidates to their populations.