Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘Light at the end of the tunnel just got a lot brighter’ – Scotland reacts to approval of Oxford vaccine

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described the vaccine's approval as "very good news"
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described the vaccine's approval as "very good news"

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed news that the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has been approved by UK regulators.

The authorisation was announced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) this morning.

As the vaccine is easier to produce and store than others, such as those produced by Pfizer and Moderna, the roll-out is expected to be quick and large in scale.

The UK has ordered 100 million doses, enough for 50 million people, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed the first vaccinations will take place on January 4.

Reacting to the news, Ms Sturgeon wrote on Twitter: “Much needed good news on the Covid front – and it is very good news.

“We’ve still got some difficult winter weeks ahead – but the light at the end of the tunnel just got a lot brighter.

“Let’s stick with it now – spring will bring better times.”

Retweeting Mr Hancock, Scottish Conservatives leader and Moray MP Douglas Ross wrote: “Great news today that the Oxford/AstraZeneca has been approved for use”.

In a statement, he added: “Ensuring everyone is covered will require a huge logistical effort from our NHS and both our governments.

“But ultimately, along with mass testing, this is the only way we can get back to normality and see an end to the restrictions on our day-to-day lives here in Moray and across the country.”

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard, meanwhile, described the news as “a real milestone in the fight against Covid”.

He added: “We now need a swift rollout of this vaccine for NHS and care workers, as well as the most vulnerable.”

In a two-part tweet, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman thanked the people who were involved in the vaccine’s development and those who will be involved in distributing it.

She added: “As we vaccinate it’s all the more important we all stick to the rules, protect ourselves, each other and the NHS knowing a brighter spring is coming.”