How UK and Russia are gearing up for roll out of coronavirus vaccine

As the UK approved the Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered "large-scale" vaccinations in the country with the Sputnik V.

The speed of the rollout depends on how fast the manufacturer can produce and deliver the vaccine in both Britain and Russia.

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The rollout in Britain:

Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine - enough for just under a third of the population as two shots of the jab are needed per person to gain immunity.

Britain will start vaccinating people early next week after it gets 800,000 doses from Belgium. The speed of the rollout then depends on how fast Pfizer can manufacture and deliver the vaccine, Britain said.

It will be administered in two shots, about three weeks apart. The bulk of the rollout will happen in the new year.

Older care home residents and their carers will be the highest priority to receive the vaccine, followed by those over 80 years of age and frontline health workers, according to the chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

People in descending bands from 80 to 50 will follow on in the first wave, along with people aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality.

Britain will use hospitals, large vaccination centres and community medical centres to distribute the jab.

50 hospitals are set up across England and waiting to accept the vaccine, vaccination centres are being set up now, and in time local health centres known as general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists will provide the jab in the community if they have those capabilities.

The community element is likely to take on a larger role if a rival vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca is approved, because it does not need such cold storage and is easier to deliver.

The rollout in Russia:

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu had said earlier that military had started a mass coronavirus vaccination campaign aimed at vaccinating 400,000 servicemen. The defence ministry had announced that 2,500 soldiers were already been vaccinated.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko on Wednesday (December 2) said more than 100,000 people had already been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Russian authorities had said that the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine was 95 per cent effective, according to preliminary data. It was the world's first coronavirus vaccine which was unveiled by Putin in August.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko on Wednesday (December 2) said more than 100,000 people had already been vaccinated against COVID-19.

While the United States could be next to roll out its vaccines, India is expected to begin mass inoculations in the first three months of 2021.

The US Food and Drug Administration will make a decision on emergency use authorization of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in days or weeks after a panel of outside advisers meets on December 10 to review the data and make its recommendation to the agency.