British health authorities granted approval Wednesday for use of the coronavirus vaccine developed by scientists at Oxford University, a step which will dramatically increase the country’s supply of usable vaccines and help the government accelerate its mass vaccination efforts.
The vaccine, which is being manufactured by AstraZeneca, was designed early in 2020 by a team at Oxford University, with human testing beginning in April.
Britain has ordered 100 million doses of the two-dose vaccine, enough for 50 million people.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the approval for use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as “fantastic news” and “a triumph for British science”.
“We will now move to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible.”
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is the second to be approved for use in the UK.
Earlier this month, health officials cleared the Pfzier-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use in Britain.