Anthony Fauci, the expert leading the COVID-19 response in the United States, in an interview with BBC has apologized for saying that the United Kingdom had "rushed" the approval of the vaccine candidate developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German firm BioNTech
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th December, 2020) Anthony Fauci, the expert leading the COVID-19 response in the United States, in an interview with BBC has apologized for saying that the United Kingdom had "rushed" the approval of the vaccine candidate developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German firm BioNTech.
On Thursday, Fauci said that the UK "did not do it as carefully" as the US regulator to approve the rollout of the vaccine. He later said that London had "rushed" the approval.
"I have a great deal of confidence in what the UK does both scientifically and from a regulator standpoint ... Our process is one that takes more time than it takes in the UK. And that's just the reality. I did not mean to imply any sloppiness even though it came out that way," Fauci said.
After becoming the first country in the world to approve the US-German vaccine candidate earlier this week, the UK authorities announced on Wednesday that the immunization campaign will begin as early as next week.
Other countries, including Russia, have also developed vaccines. Russian President Vladimir Putin, also on Wednesday, ordered his government to begin a large-scale vaccine campaign next week.
