Yesterday it was announced that Pfizer and BioNTech had developed the first effective coronavirus vaccine, capable of preventing symptoms in 90 per cent of people. So far their vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised.
The two companies plan to apply for fast-tracked approval by the end of November.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson explained in a press conference yesterday evening that although the news was promising, there are still several significant hurdles yet to be cleared. He warned that “the biggest mistake we can make now would be to slacken our resolve at a critical moment”, with the R rate still above 1 in England and daily death figures still rising.
We also learned yesterday that mass testing using “lateral flow” COVID tests will be rolled out to 67 areas in England in addition to Liverpool.
Watch the full briefing below:
