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.

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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.

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– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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