91Èȱ¬

A large coronavirus vaccination plan will begin in the UK next week in the hope that life can slowly go back to normal.

The UK has pre-ordered millions of doses of potential vaccines but the first to be approved, meaning experts think it's safe, is made by Pfizer-BioNtech.

A vaccine helps train our bodies to fight a disease and it's seen as a key way of dealing with the pandemic.

"A working vaccine is our best way of returning back to normal, but there are challenges in the way," explains 91Èȱ¬ health correspondent, Anna Collinson.

"Millions of doses need to be transported from Belgium where it's made, to the UK. It also needs to be stored at -70 degrees, so the rollout [of injections] will start in hospitals because they have the right equipment.

"This makes it difficult to get the vaccine to those who are most at risk; people who live in care homes."

The government has ordered 40 million doses of the injection, and a quarter of those are expected to arrive in the UK before the end of this year. The vaccine will be sent across the UK with the first doses expected to be seen next week.

"England falls very much in line with that [plan]," says Anna Collinson.

"The Scottish government says it hopes to have jabs by Tuesday. In Northern Ireland, they're saying Wednesday and the Welsh government says they hope they'll have it in the next seven to 14 days."

The 40 million doses of the Pfizer jab will be used to vaccinate 20 million people.

"The first doses are due to arrive in the coming days and millions more are expected in December," says Anna.

"But the main rollout will be in early next year and it's hoped this first stage will be completed by spring."

"Age is seen as the biggest risk factor when it comes to the coronavirus," Anna explained, with care home residents along with their carers top of the list to be vaccinated in the UK.

However, the head of the NHS, Sir Simon Stevens has said most of them will have to wait to get their jabs because of difficulties in transporting the vaccine at low temperatures.

Anna says: "Children are seen as very low risk so won't receive the vaccine."

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation says most children who catch coronavirus won't have any symptoms or will only have a "mild disease". If enough adults are eventually vaccinated, it will help to protect everybody.

However, they have added that the vaccine will be available for children that are at "high risk" because of health issues or some disabilities.

"Vaccines are a key tool to fight Covid-19, but for months we weren't even sure we would get one," Anna says.

"Now the UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer vaccine.

"The timing is also a big deal, something that would normally take up to ten years, has taken just ten months."

Anna says: "It's the job of the UK's regulator the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) to make sure medicines are safe.

"After spending months going through thousands of pages of data, they're confident the Pfizer vaccine is safe, it works and is ready to use."

Studies have shown the Pfizer jab is 95% effective and works in all age groups.

Anna Collinson says the vaccine is "positive news" but "it's going to take months to see the positive effects".

For now we have to all keep following the rules that are in place to protect us.

"Even if your elderly relatives are some of the first to be vaccinated, it's going to take until at least January before they're properly protected," she said.

"So if you are allowed to see them over the Christmas period, you need to be really careful."