Britain has overnight approved the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 drug for emergency use, becoming the the first country in the word to license a vaccination.
The British health secretary, Matt Hancock, expressed confidence in the regulatory process that gave clearance for hospitals to start rolling out mass immunisations from as early as next week.
The news was greeted with a mixture of joy and some caution on the streets of London.
Correspondent Vincent McAviney is on the line from London speaks to Susie Ferguson.