November 29, 2020
1 min read

Nadhim Zahawi is UK’s vaccine Minister

The UK government has appointed Nadhim Zahawi, an MP for Stratford-on-Avon, as a new health minister to oversee rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine in England, Downing Street announced.

“The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Nadhim Zahawi MP as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care,” Xinhua news agency quoted Downing Street as saying in a statement on Saturday.

In a tweet, Zahawi welcomed his new post, saying: “Delighted to have been asked by (Prime Minister) Boris Johnson to become the Minister for Covid vaccine deployment.

“A big responsibility and a big operational challenge but absolutely committed to making sure we can roll out vaccines quickly-saving lives and livelihoods and helping us build back better.”

Under the interim arrangement, Zahawi will serve as a joint minister between the health department and the business department, where he currently works, reports the BBC.

His primary focus will be on delivering the vaccine, with most areas of his business portfolio put aside.

Zahawi will look after deployment of the vaccine in England only, but will work with the devolved administrations on their chosen approach.

Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be responsible for the vaccine’s distribution in their relevant nations.

Zahawi’s appointment comes as a further 479 deaths were reported in the UK on Saturday, bringing the total to 58,030.

There were also a further 15,871 positive cases registered in the past 24 hours, which increased the overall infection tally to 1,609,141.

Currently, the UK government has placed orders for 100 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, 40 million doses of the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech and five million doses from US firm Moderna.

Also Read: Covid 19: San Francisco moves to ‘Purple Tier’

Also Read: Croatian PM self-quarantines after Covid 19 contact

Read More: Covid 19 death toll passes 1.42 Mn worldwide

Previous Story

Covid 19: San Francisco moves to ‘Purple Tier’

Next Story

Aus PM mulls action against top army officers

Latest from -Top News

Trump Warns Musk: ‘Close Shop or Go Home’

Trump’s warning on his Truth Social platform late on Tuesday (US time) came amid the feud between him and Musk over the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’….reports Asian Lite News Former US President

India-US Trade Deal Likely This Week

The interim trade deal would be an initial step towards a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement between Indian and the US….reports Asian Lite News India is expected to finalise an interim trade

One Year Later, Hasina’s Son Raises Red Flag

Hasina’s abrupt exit last August after violent student protests was widely seen as a blow to democracy in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million….reports Asian Lite News Sajeeb Wazed, son of former

Global South Finds Its Campus in India

The question is no longer if India can attract global talent, but whether it can build the conditions to do so at scale—with care and vision. Done right, India could emerge as

Jaishankar Gets Real on India-US Ties

The EAM underlined the structural drivers of the bilateral relationship, saying, “The trend line over the last 25 years has actually been very strong….reports Asian Lite News External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
Go toTop