Britain gets sixth COVID shot after French firm Valneva approval
April 14, 2022, 8:21 am

Britain gets sixth COVID shot after French firm Valneva approval

COVID vaccine-Covid-19 vaccination/Pixabay

The Euronews reported, citing Reuters, Britain approved on Thursday (Apr 14) French firm Valneva’s COVID-19 vaccine, bringing in a sixth coronavirus shot to the country.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, UK’s independent medicines regulator, said the watchdog was the first in the world to approve Valneva’s vaccine.

It added that the vaccine was also the first, whole-virus inactivated COVID-19 shot to get a regulatory nod in the country.

On Tuesday (Apr 12), the UK health ministry said that the country will expand access to Pfizer’s oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment to thousands more people by adding it to a trial to assess how best to use the drug in its highly vaccinated population.

Britain approved on Thursday (Apr 14) French firm Valneva’s COVID-19 vaccine, bringing in a sixth coronavirus shot to the country (File photo: Pixabay)

Health minister Sajid Javid said in a statement: “As we learn to live with COVID, the UK continues to lead the way in using cutting-edge treatments which have already saved the lives of many of the country’s most vulnerable patients."

Covid-19 infections in the UK may be beginning to level off, the latest weekly Office for National Statistics figures suggest, the BBC reported.

According to the BBC, more than 170,000 people have died in the UK since the outbreak of the virus.

Britain widens access to Pfizer’s oral antiviral COVID treatment through trial

It said that Covid vaccination programme has so far reached nine in 10 people aged 12 and over with a first dose.

levantnews, agencies

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.