超開心！London Lad 70幾歲嘅爸爸媽媽聽日就會接種第一劑嘅輝瑞疫苗。NHS已經通知咗佢哋，第二劑會喺12個禮拜後打。

喺英國，只有NHS會提供疫苗，而且係免費嘅。暫時有得打疫苗嘅係高危人士，包括年紀大嘅人，以及喺NHS工作嘅人員。

其他人唔洗自己聯絡NHS，而係需要等NHS通知先可以接種疫苗。如果你喺英格蘭，就已經俾咗IHS，就記得盡快同你當地嘅GP登記喇。

英國政府其中一樣做得比其他國家更好嘅，就係一早已經大量訂購唔同嘅疫苗。雖然好多疫苗係需要打兩劑先可以發揮佢哋最大嘅效用，英國政府為咗令更多人有一定嘅免疫能力，會安排大部份嘅人先打咗第一劑。

英國已經訂購左三億劑疫苗，由7個唔同嘅藥廠製造。呢7個入邊，暫時有3個已經獲批准。

未打到疫苗嘅我哋，記得戴口罩同勤洗手呀！

We are happy to say that London Lad’s parents – who are in their 70s – will be getting their first Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 jab tomorrow morning! They have been advised by the NHS they will get the second dose in 12 weeks’ time.

It is free but is only available through the NHS to eligible groups. The NHS has started with the groups most at risk from coronavirus due to age, other health conditions or because they work in certain roles in the NHS.

For others, the NHS will notify you when it’s your turn to have the vaccine. We do not have to contact the NHS ourselves. For those who are eligible in registering with a GP surgery in England (such as those who paid the IHS), make sure you do it as soon as you can, if not already.

One of the things that the UK government has done right and better than many other countries is the mass ordering of vaccines. Although most vaccines need two doses to get their full effectiveness, the UK government is concentrating on getting the first dose to as many people as possible as a priority. Second doses will follow.

Back in November, the government said it has access to 357 million doses of vaccines from 7 different developers:

• 100 million doses of University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine – APPROVED
• 40 million doses of BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine – APPROVED
• 7 million doses of Moderna vaccine – APPROVED
• 60 million doses of Novavax vaccine – in trials
• 60 million doses of Valneva vaccine – in trials
• 60 million doses of GSK/Sanofi Pasteur vaccine – in trials
• 30 million doses of Janssen vaccine – in trials

Meanwhile, Hong Kongers, mask up and wash your hands!

Image: Hakan Nural on Unsplash