UK approves Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for emergency use

EU (Associated Press)

Drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech say they've won permission for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in Britain.

That is the world’s first coronavirus shot to be approved that’s backed by rigorous science - and a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic.

The move Wednesday makes Britain one of the first countries to begin vaccinating its population as it tries to curb Europe’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.

Other countries aren’t far behind: The United States and the European Union also are vetting the Pfizer shot along with a similar vaccine made by competitor Moderna Inc.

British regulators also are considering another shot made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Pfizer said it would immediately begin shipping limited supplies to the U.K.