UK deploys AstraZeneca fire but PM Johnson set to tighten restrictions

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain became the first country to vaccinate its population with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 on Monday, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson was set to tighten restrictions in England in an attempt to slow the spread of cases.

Johnson will deliver a televised speech at 8 p.m. (2000 GMT) and Parliament will be recalled on Wednesday.

“The spread of the new variant of COVID-19 has led to a rapid increase in the number of cases across the country,” a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said.

“The Prime Minister is clear that further action must now be taken to stop this rise and to protect the NHS (National Health Service) and save lives. He will exhibit them tonight.

Amid the worrying backdrop of record daily cases, Britain touted a scientific ‘triumph’ as ​​dialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82, became the first person to be shot at Oxford / AstraZeneca outside of a test.

“I am very happy to receive the COVID vaccine today and really proud that it is the one that was invented in Oxford,” said Pinker, a retired maintenance manager, a few hundred yards from where the vaccine has been developed.

Britain is grappling with the sixth highest death toll in the world and one of the worst economic success stories of the COVID-19 crisis. More than 75,000 people in the UK have died from COVID-19 within 28 days of testing positive.

It was the first country to deploy the vaccine developed by Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech almost a month ago, and prioritizes a first dose of vaccine to as many people as possible rather than a second dose.

Some experts say they are concerned about such an approach.

Two new variants of the coronavirus complicate the response to COVID-19 and Britain has seen a resurgence of cases to new daily highs.

British scientists have expressed concern that the COVID-19 vaccines being deployed may not be able to protect against a new variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in South Africa and has spread to the international scale.

Johnson warned of “tough and difficult weeks” ahead.

“If you look at the numbers, there is no doubt that we will have to take tougher action,” Johnson said during a visit to see health workers receive the Oxford vaccine.

STRENGTHENING RESTRICTIONS

ITV News said the toughest Level 4 restriction, which currently covers much of England, will be enforced across the country and schools will be closed.

In front of Johnson, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon imposed the strictest lockdown since last spring.

“It is no exaggeration to say that I am more concerned about the situation we are facing now than I have been at any time since March,” she said.

Britain has administered over a million COVID-19 vaccines – more than the rest of Europe combined, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, saying it was a triumph of the British science.

Johnson’s government has secured 100 million doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine that can be stored at refrigerator temperatures between two and eight degrees, making it easier to distribute than the Pfizer vaccine.

Six hospitals in England are administering the first of some 530,000 doses that Britain has loaned. The program will be rolled out to hundreds of other UK sites in the coming days, and the government hopes it will deliver tens of millions of doses within months.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it administered 4.2 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday morning and distributed 13.07 million doses.

More than a tenth of Israel’s population has received a vaccine and now administers more than 150,000 doses per day.

Germany and Denmark are investigating the possibility of delaying the administration of a second dose of Pfizer vaccine to further stretch scarce supplies, after a similar initiative by Britain.

Britain has become the first Western country to approve and roll out a COVID-19 vaccine, although it is behind Russia and China which have been inoculating their citizens for months.