England ... a senior medical official expresses confidence in the "Corona" vaccine

The Deputy Chief Medical Officer in England has expressed confidence in the emerging coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine, but added that the British government will not offer any injections for public use unless all criteria are met.

During a briefing today, Wednesday, Professor Jonathan Van Tam assured the public that he would be the first on the waiting list to get the same vaccine if this was "the right and ethical thing to do," adding that he encouraged his 78-year-old mother to receive the vaccine when asked to do so.

But he said that three phases of clinical trials as well as the standards "are not less" than the usual trials for vaccines "because this is a public health emergency."

"Companies that have made decisions to put mass production at risk. By saying in danger, I mean at risk to them. If their product does not pass the third stage of testing, then they will have to literally destroy everything they produced," he explained.

These statements come after "Pfizer" and "Biontech", one of the five developers who signed distribution agreements with Britain, announced yesterday, Monday, that they have achieved 90 percent effectiveness in preventing infection with the Coronavirus in the third phase of vaccine trials.

And Health Minister Matt Hancock announced on Tuesday that he had requested the British National Health Service to "prepare" to start vaccinating citizens as of the beginning of next December.

Referring to the "Pfizer" and "Biontech" vaccine, Van Tam said, "We have an option to order up to 40 million doses."

"We will not use anything until the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (Medicines and Healthcare products) makes its judgment on safety and efficacy.

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