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The  UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced its plans to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca PLC and the University of Oxford as 'super spreader' cases continue to surge across the country.

In a statement, MHRA Chief Executive Dr, June Raine said, " We are delighted to announce the good news that the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-10 is now approved for supply following a robust and thorough assessment of all available data.

"No stone is left unturned when it comes to our assessments. This approval means more people can be protected against this virus and will help save lives. This is another significant milestone in the fight against this virus. We will continue to support and work across the healthcare system to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out safely across the UK. Protecting [the] health and improving lives is our mission and what we strive for," he added.

This marks the third approval by a major Western nation for a COVID-19 vaccine, following the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which have already received approval in the United States.

Unlike the two U.S.-based vaccines, the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine is more affordable, easier to store and distribute rapidly heading into 2021. The  British pharmaceutical company plans to produce up to 3 billion doses for the upcoming year.

"AstraZeneca is working with its global 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. The vaccine can be stored, transported, and handled at normal refrigerated conditions (two-eight degrees Celsius/ 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least six months and administered within existing healthcare settings," the British pharmaceutical company said in a statement.

A previous report indicated that AstraZeneca will its vaccine at $4 to $5 per dose, significantly cheaper than Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA) for their vaccines.

Pfizer-BioNTech is reportedly charging the United States $19.50 per dose, or $39 for a two-shot immunization. On the other hand, Moderna charges around $32 to $37 per dose for smaller purchases and less for bigger deals.

Health experts are confident the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is effective against the new COVID-19 variant

The UK's approval of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine follows the discovery of a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus ripping through the nation. The new variant appeared as early as September in Kent. Scientists report the N501Y strain is 70% more contagious than other variants and has 23 unique genetic changes, far from the norm.

By the middle of November close to 28% of cases in London were directly attributable to the N501Y strain. “It is becoming the dominant variant; it is beating all the others in terms of transmission,” said Patrick Vallance, chief scientific advisor to the U.K. government.

While N501Y is more contagious, Vallance remains confident the AstraZeneca vaccine will be effective in handling the mutated variant. That said, researchers across the U.K. are monitoring the situation closely.

“The working assumption is that the vaccine response should be adequate for this virus, but we need to keep vigilant about this,” Vallance said.

Recent reporting indicates that the U.K.'s highly contagious N501Y strain has reached American shores, appearing first in Colorado. Experts have announced that two national guard members have contracted the mutated strain.

In both cases, the two guardsmen were working at nursing homes. One guardsman, in his 20's, has no travel history while the other's itinerary remains unclear. Experts are concerned the U.K. strain has already reached the wider community, raising red flags across the state of Colorado.

Currently, scientists are scrambling to determine the extent of the spread of this new and deadlier coronavirus strain.

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