Ulster Unionist leader, Steve Aiken OBE MLA, said:
“This is a good news day which people across the United Kingdom have been waiting for. I warmly welcome the announcement that the United Kingdom is the first country in the world to clinically approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine after stringent regulatory testing. This is a credit to the United Kingdom`s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) whose medical and scientific professionals have worked night and day to deliver approval whilst maintaining the most stringent of clinical standards.
“I must also pay credit to the Health Minister Robin Swann, and Department of Health and NHS staff who have put the plans in place to deliver the vaccine to those most in need when the initial batches arrive in Northern Ireland. They have already put an enormous amount of planning into this huge logistical operation and we can be immensely proud of the work of all the NHS staff who are once again stepping up to protect the public so that we can start gradually working our way back to some form of normality.”
Ulster Unionist Health spokesperson, Alan Chambers MLA, said:
“The co-operation of the vast majority of the public of Northern Ireland during the pandemic has been absolutely vital in getting us to where we are today. They have responded well to the consistent leadership of the Health Minister Robin Swann and the team of medical and scientific professionals around him.
“The public`s co-operation has meant that we are able to protect the Health Service and stop our hospitals from being completely overwhelmed. However, we’re not out of the woods yet.
“Although the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been given regulatory approval after passing stringent checks, it will be many months before the majority of the population receive it.
“Complacency is the virus`s friend and we certainly don`t want to encourage that friendship. We can`t afford to drop our guard. The regulatory approval and distribution of the vaccine will help slow down the spread of the virus, but it is not a silver bullet. We need to continue to keep doing what we`re doing, washing our hands, keeping a social distance, wearing face coverings and maintaining good respiratory hygiene. As the Health Minister has said we are getting closer to the end, but we’re not there yet.”