AstraZeneca announced that its COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency supply in the U.K., with the first doses being released today so that vaccinations may begin early in the New Year. The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency provided authorization for emergency supply of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, formerly known as AZD1222, for the active immunization of individuals 18 years or older. The authorization recommends two doses administered with an interval of between four and 12 weeks. AstraZeneca said it is working with Public Health England and National Health Service England to support the deployment and roll out of the vaccine in the U.K. The company aims to supply millions of doses in the first quarter as part of an agreement with the government to supply up to 100M doses in total. AstraZeneca is also seeking Emergency Use Listing from the World Health Organization for an accelerated pathway to vaccine availability in low- and middle-income countries. The company added that it is working with its partners to continue building manufacturing capacity of up to three billion doses of the vaccine globally in 2021 on a rolling basis, pending regulatory approvals. AstraZeneca is conducting a large trial in the U.S. and globally. In total, Oxford University and AstraZeneca expect to enroll up to 60,000 participants globally.