Moderna Inc’s vaccine against coronavirus has received on Friday the emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, making it the second vaccine to be registered.

The FDA made the announcement following a panel that was held for the agency with outside experts who endorsed the vaccine, and a week after the FDA’s authorization for Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE.

The vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech, which share the similar technology, have been on a massive nationwide rollout and been handed out to thousands of U.S. healthcare workers. Moderna is expected to follow the lead of those vaccines.

“With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day,” FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D, said in a statement.

“It is my hope that all Americans will protect themselves by getting vaccinated when the vaccine becomes available to them. That is how our country will begin to heal and move forward,” top U.S. infectious disease scientist Anthony Fauci said in a statement.

We hope that with vaccines underway that this nightmare can finally come to an end and that 2021 will bring us the new start we desperately need.

After receiving the first batch of Chinese Sinopharm’s coronavirus vaccine, Health Minister Hala Zayed said that Egypt will be receiving the vaccine batches in succession and will provide it for free!

The free distribution of the vaccine is based on the directives of the president. The vaccine, according to both Egypt and UAE, is 85% effective and has gone through clinical trials in Egypt these past months, Minister Zayed was one of the volunteers who participated in the clinical trials.

Minister Hala Zayed along with Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang and acting Emirati Ambassador to Egypt Mariam Al-Kaabi, have supervised the arrival of the first batch at the Cairo International Airport. The batch came from the UAE and the minister’s remarks came afterwards.

The Chinese vaccine has so far secured an emergency approval of the World Health Organization, the Minister also added that Egypt has signed deal with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization to secure the provision of further vaccine doses.

Priority in distribution goes to the medical staff first, those working in isolation hospitals, chest and fever hospitals. Then to patients with cancer or kidney failures, the elderly and people with chronic diseases.

The vaccine is injected in the upper arm and is divided into two shots, given 21 days apart.

The United Kingdom became the first country today to formally approve both Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, something that is considered as a huge milestone in the battle against the virus.

The UK had ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and it will be rolled out from early next week. The quantity is enough for just under a third of the population as two shots of the jab are needed per person to provide immunity.

It is said that this will be just enough for health workers and the elderly, as they come at the top of the priority list.

The doses will be rolled out as quickly as they can be made by Pfizer in Belgium, Mr Hancock said, with the first load next week and then “several millions” throughout December.