Coronavirus: UK approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

LONDON — The United Kingdom has approved Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the country, The Associated Press is reporting.

>> Read more trending news

Drugmaker BioNTech, which partnered with Pfizer to create the vaccine, took to social media early Wednesday to share the update.

“Exciting news: We received the world’s first authorization of a #COVID19 #vaccine, with [the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency] granting emergency use authorization in the U.K.,” BioNTech tweeted. “More regulatory decisions may come in 2020.”

The country’s Department of Health and Social Care said the vaccine “will be made available across the U.K. from next week,” according to the AP.

The news came just weeks after Pfizer and BioNTech formally asked the Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 20 to allow the emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, the news agency previously reported. The U.S. and European Union are currently vetting the emergency use applications from Pfizer and Moderna, according to the AP.

Read more here or here.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More coronavirus pandemic coverage:

>> Coronavirus: CDC acknowledges airborne transmission of COVID-19

>> Is it COVID-19, flu, cold or allergies? What is causing you to feel sick this year

>> Coronavirus: CDC updates guidance for COVID-19 testing

>> Dangerous hand sanitizer list up to more than 150 products, FDA announces

>> Wash your masks: How to clean a cloth face covering

>> Fact check: Will masks lower the oxygen level, raise the carbon dioxide in your blood?

>> How to not let coronavirus pandemic fatigue set in, battle back if it does

On Air97.1 The River - Classic Hits Logo

mobile apps

Everything you love about 971theriver.com and more! Tap on any of the buttons below to download our app.

amazon alexa

Enable our Skill today to listen live at home on your Alexa Devices!