Coronavirus: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is approved for use

A new vaccine to protect people against coronavirus has been approved in the UK.

100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have been ordered and people will start receiving the new jab from Monday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the news "a triumph" for British science, saying that the Government would "now move to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock called it a "significant moment" in the fight against the virus.

Where has the Oxford vaccine come from?

This vaccine has been developed by the University of Oxford in the UK alongside a company called AstraZeneca.

It stops 70% of people developing symptoms of the disease, and is cheaper and easier to transport than other vaccines.

So far, the other coronavirus vaccines have had to be stored in really cold temperatures, but this new medicine can be kept at fridge temperature meaning it can be transported all over the world.

Researchers have also found that changing the dosage could make this vaccine 90% effective.

Is it the first vaccine?

Margaret from Northern Ireland became the first person to receive a vaccination against the coronavirus

It's not the first vaccine to have been approved, the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine was approved in early December,

A mass vaccination programme - which involves around 70 hospital hubs across the UK - began on 8 December, 2020.

A 90-year-old granny called Margaret Keenan from Northern Ireland became the very first person to receive a vaccination against the coronavirus.

Who made this vaccine?

Sarah Gilbert is the lead professor behind the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, along with Professor Andrew Pollard.

Prime Minster Boris Johnson called their vaccine "brilliant". He tweeted saying: "Well done to our brilliant scientists at University of Oxford & AstraZeneca and all who volunteered in the trials.

"These results are incredibly encouraging and a major step forward in our fight against Covid-19."

Why are people so excited about it?

The Oxford vaccine is the one that the British government has invested most money in.

They've ordered over 100 million doses, so when it is rolled out lots of people will get it,

This vaccine has a big advantage over some others as it is cheaper, and importantly, it doesn't need to be kept at very low temperatures which will make it easier to move around the country and to be stored.

What else do I need to know?

Now that it's been approved, the new vaccine will start being used within days.

Added to the existing Pfizer-BioNTech jab, there is now enough to vaccinate all adults in the UK. Children will not be vaccinated as they have a much lower risk of getting badly ill if they catch Covid-19.

It will take many months until all adults have received the jab and it's important for everyone to keep following the rules that are in place to protect us.

But many will see this new vaccine approval as another step towards life slowly returning to normal.