Pfizer, BioNTech Coronavirus Vaccine Gets Approved For Emergency Use In The UK : Coronavirus Updates - NPR

has approved the Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use.

has approved the Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use.

The British regulatory agency, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority, or MHRA, announced early Wednesday the approval of the vaccine from Pfizer and the German company BioNTech for emergency use.

The vaccine promises up to 95% protection against COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

News of a vaccine approval offers a glimmer of hope as the world grapples with a record-breaking third surge of COVID-19 infections.

marks a historic moment in the fight against COVID-19," Alert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer for Pfizer, said.

Hancock said he expects 10 million doses of the vaccine to arrive in the U.K.

After high priority people are provided the two doses of the vaccine, the immunization process would go through each age group, he said.

The UK is the first country in the world to have a clinically approved vaccine for supply.

and European regulators are expected to grant emergency use of the vaccine later this month, according to Pfizer and BioNTech