As the UK approved the&nbsp;Pfizer-BioNTech's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccine</a>, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered "large-scale" vaccinations in the country with the Sputnik V.

The speed of the&nbsp;rollout&nbsp;depends on how&nbsp;fast the manufacturer can produce and deliver the vaccine&nbsp;in both Britain and Russia.

Watch |&nbsp;

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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&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-becomes-first-country-to-approve-pfizer-biontech-covid-vaccine-for-general-use-346858">vaccination</a>&nbsp;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&nbsp;Sputnik V&nbsp;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,&nbsp;India is expected to begin mass inoculations in the first three months of 2021.

The US&nbsp;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&nbsp;outside advisers meets on December&nbsp;10 to review the data and make its recommendation to the agency.

&nbsp;

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.

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. Watch | 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.

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

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Pune-based Serum Institute of India on November 28,&nbsp;a senior official said on Thursday.

The&nbsp;Serum&nbsp;Institute of India, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume,&nbsp;has partnered with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University for the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccine</a>.

According to&nbsp;Serum's Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla, it will&nbsp;first focus on supplying AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine to Indians before distributing it to other countries.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/90-efficacy-of-oxfords-coronavirus-vaccine-came-from-younger-group-345535" hreflang="en">90% efficacy of Oxford's coronavirus vaccine came from younger group</a>

The Central Drug Standard Control Organisation has granted permission for the manufacture of the COVID-19 vaccine for the pre-clinical test, examination, and analysis to seven firms, two of which are the Serum Institute of India (SII) and the Gennova Biopharmaceuticals.

"We have received a confirmation about PM Modi's visit to the Serum Institute of India on Saturday, but his minute-to-minute program is yet to be received," Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/serum-institute-to-focus-on-supplying-covid-19-vaccine-to-india-first-344956">Serum Institute to focus on supplying COVID-19 vaccine to India first</a>

On Tuesday, Rao said there was a possibility of the PM's visit to Pune, and if that happens, it would be aimed at reviewing the status of the vaccine candidate for coronavirus infection and to know about its launch, production and distribution mechanisms.

Rao had also informed that ambassadors and envoys from 100 countries will visit the Serum Institute of India and the Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd here on December 4.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;AstraZeneca&nbsp;and Oxford University have acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising questions about preliminary results of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine.

AstraZeneca is likely to run an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine, its chief executive Pascal Soriot was quoted as saying on Thursday after questions over the results from its late-stage study.

Instead of adding the trial arm to an ongoing US&nbsp;process, a new study would be run to evaluate a lower dosage that performed better than a full amount in AstraZeneca's studies, Soriot said.

On November 23, British-Swedish drug maker AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford had said that the Coronavirus vaccine they are developing is 70.4 per cent effective, on an average, in preventing COVID-19, as per the interim analysis of its late-stage clinical trials conducted in the UK and Brazil.

A statement describing the error made no mention of why some study participants didn't receive as much vaccine in the first of two shots as expected.

In a surprise, the group of volunteers that got a lower dose seemed to be much better protected than the volunteers who got two full doses.

In the low-dose group, AstraZeneca said, the vaccine appeared to be 90 per cent effective.

In the group that got two full doses, the vaccine appeared to be 62 per cent effective.

But the way in which the results were arrived at and reported by the companies has led to pointed questions from experts.

The partial results announced on Monday are from large ongoing studies in the UK and Brazil designed to determine the optimal dose of vaccine, as well as examine safety and effectiveness.

Multiple combinations and doses were tried in the volunteers.

They were compared to others who were given a meningitis vaccine or a saline shot.

The dose of AstraZeneca Plc's Covid antibody that demonstrated the most significant level of adequacy was tried in a more youthful populace than a greater portion that indicated less viability, as per the top of the US&nbsp;Activity Warp Speed program.&nbsp;

The vaccine being&nbsp;developed by&nbsp;Oxford University was 90 per cent&nbsp;viable when a half-portion was given before a full-portion booster, the partners said&nbsp;on Monday.

However, that system was controlled to members in a gathering whose age was covered at 55, Warp Speed's Moncef Slaoui said Tuesday in a call with columnists.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Pune-based Serum Institute of India on November 28, a senior official said on Thursday. The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume, has partnered with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Pune-based Serum Institute of India on November 28, a senior official said on Thursday. The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume, has partnered with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University for the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Serum's Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla, it will first focus on supplying AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine to Indians before distributing it to other countries. Also read: 90% efficacy of Oxford's coronavirus vaccine came from younger group The Central Drug Standard Control Organisation has granted permission for the manufacture of the COVID-19 vaccine for the pre-clinical test, examination, and analysis to seven firms, two of which are the Serum Institute of India (SII) and the Gennova Biopharmaceuticals. "We have received a confirmation about PM Modi's visit to the Serum Institute of India on Saturday, but his minute-to-minute program is yet to be received," Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao said. Also read: Serum Institute to focus on supplying COVID-19 vaccine to India first On Tuesday, Rao said there was a possibility of the PM's visit to Pune, and if that happens, it would be aimed at reviewing the status of the vaccine candidate for coronavirus infection and to know about its launch, production and distribution mechanisms. Rao had also informed that ambassadors and envoys from 100 countries will visit the Serum Institute of India and the Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd here on December 4. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca and Oxford University have acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising questions about preliminary results of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine. AstraZeneca is likely to run an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine, its chief executive Pascal Soriot was quoted as saying on Thursday after questions over the results from its late-stage study. Instead of adding the trial arm to an ongoing US process, a new study would be run to evaluate a lower dosage that performed better than a full amount in AstraZeneca's studies, Soriot said. On November 23, British-Swedish drug maker AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford had said that the Coronavirus vaccine they are developing is 70.4 per cent effective, on an average, in preventing COVID-19, as per the interim analysis of its late-stage clinical trials conducted in the UK and Brazil. A statement describing the error made no mention of why some study participants didn't receive as much vaccine in the first of two shots as expected. In a surprise, the group of volunteers that got a lower dose seemed to be much better protected than the volunteers who got two full doses. In the low-dose group, AstraZeneca said, the vaccine appeared to be 90 per cent effective. In the group that got two full doses, the vaccine appeared to be 62 per cent effective. But the way in which the results were arrived at and reported by the companies has led to pointed questions from experts. The partial results announced on Monday are from large ongoing studies in the UK and Brazil designed to determine the optimal dose of vaccine, as well as examine safety and effectiveness. Multiple combinations and doses were tried in the volunteers. They were compared to others who were given a meningitis vaccine or a saline shot. The dose of AstraZeneca Plc's Covid antibody that demonstrated the most significant level of adequacy was tried in a more youthful populace than a greater portion that indicated less viability, as per the top of the US Activity Warp Speed program. The vaccine being developed by Oxford University was 90 per cent viable when a half-portion was given before a full-portion booster, the partners said on Monday. However, that system was controlled to members in a gathering whose age was covered at 55, Warp Speed's Moncef Slaoui said Tuesday in a call with columnists.

Coronavirus vaccine tracker: PM Modi to visit Serum Institute of India on November 28

Hopes over <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine?page=1">Covid-19&nbsp;vaccines</a>&nbsp;have given a boost to virus-weary citizens across the globe in recent days, but the disease remains rampant and world leaders are urging people to be patient.

Even once a&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;becomes available, any return to normality for a global economy ravaged by the pandemic seems a long way off.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/vaccine-to-lowest-levels-pm-modi-speaks-on-covid-19-vaccine-cost-distribution-strategy-during-chief-ministers-meeting-345108" hreflang="en">'Vaccine to lowest levels': PM Modi on COVID-19 vaccine cost, distribution</a>

Here are the most frequently asked questions about the coronavirus vaccine:

What do we know about the vaccines?

Since this pandemic began more than 100 vaccines are undergoing trials and&nbsp;as many as 54 vaccines&nbsp;are being tested on humans. At least 87 candidates are in the pre-clinical trial stage.

There is no vaccine that is approved for full use and that can be widely administered across the world

Some vaccine candidates have either completed their trials or are close to completing them.

While 37 candidates are in phase one of trials,&nbsp;17 in are phase two, that is,&nbsp;the safety trials.&nbsp;13 candidates are being tested among large groups of people and six have been approved but for limited use.

So,&nbsp;out of the vaccines being tested on humans some candidates have managed to get ahead.

In the tests conducted so far, these vaccines are showing positive results. However, they are not quite ready for a global rollout but we could have multiple vaccines&nbsp;that work and that is extremely encouraging.

Who are these candidates?

The candidates for the coronavirus vaccine include&nbsp;AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Pfizer and Moderna.

AstraZeneca said on Monday its&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;on average prevented 70% of COVID-19 cases in late-stage trials. This rose to 90% in a group of participants who accidentally received a half dose followed by a full dose.

New clinical trial data based on 39 confirmed cases and 18,794 patients who had both shots had shown that Sputnik V was 91.4% effective on day 28 and over 95% effective on day 42.

Pfizer&nbsp;and German partner BioNTech reported final trial results that showed the vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 with no major safety concerns.

Moderna said its experimental&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;was 94.5% effective in preventing COVID-19, based on interim data from a late-stage clinical trial.

Nearly a million people have taken an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese company&nbsp;Sinopharm, the firm said, although it has not yet provided any clear clinical evidence of efficacy.

China has been giving experimental Covid-19 vaccines to people including state employees, international students, and essential workers heading abroad since July.

Are these vaccines safe?

It is difficult to guarantee the safety of these vaccines because the efficacy rates have been reported by companies themselves.

However, experts of the scientific community need to cross-check this data to&nbsp;verify it.

Companies like Pfizer and the makers of the Oxford vaccine say their vaccine works across age groups.&nbsp;

Are there any long term side effects?

The vaccine makers are moving for emergency authorization regulators will clear those candidates that can be safely administered to people, paving the way for the inoculation of the masses.

When can you get it?

It depends on where does a person lives. Pfizer has said it will roll out its vaccine before Christmas.

The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest manufacturer of&nbsp;vaccines by volume, will first focus on supplying AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;to Indians before distributing it to other countries, Serum's Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla said on Monday.

Serum is hoping the data released earlier on Monday, along with preliminary data from the ongoing trial of the&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;in India, will allow it to seek emergency use authorisation for the&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;by year-end, before gaining approval for a full rollout by February or March next year, said Poonawalla.

How will it be distributed?

In India, the rollout could happen in two ways, either the government could procure the vaccines and distribute them themselves or they could be directly made available in pharmacies for people to buy.

&nbsp;Considering India is such a large country both of these mediums could be used, just like how the prices of tests for Wuhan virus were capped.

The prices of these vaccines could be capped for the open market while the government could buy its own supplies and distribute it for free or subsidized rates. The government of India is yet to announce its plans but reportedly, it plans to inoculate one out of every five Indians by July. That would mean 25 crore citizens.

&nbsp;

Hopes over Covid-19 vaccines have given a boost to virus-weary citizens across the globe in recent days, but the disease remains rampant and world leaders are urging people to be patient.

Hopes over Covid-19 vaccines have given a boost to virus-weary citizens across the globe in recent days, but the disease remains rampant and world leaders are urging people to be patient. Even once a vaccine becomes available, any return to normality for a global economy ravaged by the pandemic seems a long way off. Also read: 'Vaccine to lowest levels': PM Modi on COVID-19 vaccine cost, distribution Here are the most frequently asked questions about the coronavirus vaccine: What do we know about the vaccines? Since this pandemic began more than 100 vaccines are undergoing trials and as many as 54 vaccines are being tested on humans. At least 87 candidates are in the pre-clinical trial stage. There is no vaccine that is approved for full use and that can be widely administered across the world Some vaccine candidates have either completed their trials or are close to completing them. While 37 candidates are in phase one of trials, 17 in are phase two, that is, the safety trials. 13 candidates are being tested among large groups of people and six have been approved but for limited use. So, out of the vaccines being tested on humans some candidates have managed to get ahead. In the tests conducted so far, these vaccines are showing positive results. However, they are not quite ready for a global rollout but we could have multiple vaccines that work and that is extremely encouraging. Who are these candidates? The candidates for the coronavirus vaccine include AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Pfizer and Moderna. AstraZeneca said on Monday its vaccine on average prevented 70% of COVID-19 cases in late-stage trials. This rose to 90% in a group of participants who accidentally received a half dose followed by a full dose. New clinical trial data based on 39 confirmed cases and 18,794 patients who had both shots had shown that Sputnik V was 91.4% effective on day 28 and over 95% effective on day 42. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech reported final trial results that showed the vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 with no major safety concerns. Moderna said its experimental vaccine was 94.5% effective in preventing COVID-19, based on interim data from a late-stage clinical trial. Nearly a million people have taken an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese company Sinopharm, the firm said, although it has not yet provided any clear clinical evidence of efficacy. China has been giving experimental Covid-19 vaccines to people including state employees, international students, and essential workers heading abroad since July. Are these vaccines safe? It is difficult to guarantee the safety of these vaccines because the efficacy rates have been reported by companies themselves. However, experts of the scientific community need to cross-check this data to verify it. Companies like Pfizer and the makers of the Oxford vaccine say their vaccine works across age groups. Are there any long term side effects? The vaccine makers are moving for emergency authorization regulators will clear those candidates that can be safely administered to people, paving the way for the inoculation of the masses. When can you get it? It depends on where does a person lives. Pfizer has said it will roll out its vaccine before Christmas. The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume, will first focus on supplying AstraZeneca Plc's COVID-19 vaccine to Indians before distributing it to other countries, Serum's Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla said on Monday. Serum is hoping the data released earlier on Monday, along with preliminary data from the ongoing trial of the vaccine in India, will allow it to seek emergency use authorisation for the vaccine by year-end, before gaining approval for a full rollout by February or March next year, said Poonawalla. How will it be distributed? In India, the rollout could happen in two ways, either the government could procure the vaccines and distribute them themselves or they could be directly made available in pharmacies for people to buy. Considering India is such a large country both of these mediums could be used, just like how the prices of tests for Wuhan virus were capped. The prices of these vaccines could be capped for the open market while the government could buy its own supplies and distribute it for free or subsidized rates. The government of India is yet to announce its plans but reportedly, it plans to inoculate one out of every five Indians by July. That would mean 25 crore citizens.

From production to distribution: Comprehensive guide to coronavirus vaccine

The World Health Organization says the vaccine approved by Russia this week is not among the nine that it considers in the advanced stages of testing.

WHO and partners have included nine experimental COVID-19 vaccines within an investment mechanism it is encouraging countries to join, known as the Covax facility. The initiative allows countries to invest in several vaccines to obtain early access, while theoretically providing funding for developing countries.

“We don't have sufficient information at this point to make a judgment" on the Russia vaccine, said Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to WHO's director-general.

“We're currently in conversation with Russia to get additional information to understand the status of that product, the trials that have been undertaken and then what the next steps might be."

This week, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia had approved a coronavirus vaccine that has yet to complete advanced trials in people and claimed, without evidence, the immunization protects people for up to two years.

The World Health Organization says the vaccine approved by Russia this week is not among the nine that it considers in the advanced stages of testing. WHO and partners have included nine experimental COVID-19 vaccines within an investment mechanism it is encouraging countries to join, known as the Covax facility.

The World Health Organization says the vaccine approved by Russia this week is not among the nine that it considers in the advanced stages of testing. WHO and partners have included nine experimental COVID-19 vaccines within an investment mechanism it is encouraging countries to join, known as the Covax facility. The initiative allows countries to invest in several vaccines to obtain early access, while theoretically providing funding for developing countries. “We don't have sufficient information at this point to make a judgment" on the Russia vaccine, said Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to WHO's director-general. “We're currently in conversation with Russia to get additional information to understand the status of that product, the trials that have been undertaken and then what the next steps might be." This week, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia had approved a coronavirus vaccine that has yet to complete advanced trials in people and claimed, without evidence, the immunization protects people for up to two years.

Russia's first Covid-19 vaccine not in advanced test stages: WHO

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

Coronavirus vaccine tracker: PM Modi to visit Serum Institute of India on November 28

From production to distribution: Comprehensive guide to coronavirus vaccine

Russia's first Covid-19 vaccine not in advanced test stages: WHO