STOURBRIDGE'S MP Suzanne Webb said today hailed the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine as the “best Christmas present” the country could ask for.

The government has announced the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved Pfizer/BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine for use.

The UK is the first western country to approve a vaccine and it will be rolled out across the country from next week.

The country has ordered 40 million doses of the jab.

Conservative MP Suzanne said: “This is the best Christmas present we could wish for and it shows there is light at the end of this dark tunnel for the country.

“Although infection rates have fallen locally, I would like to see this vaccine deployed in virus hotspots as a priority to help those on the health frontline and the vulnerable before the general population.

“We also have another British developed vaccine from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford close to approval that is easier to store, so there is hopefully more good news to come.

“However, mass vaccination is still months away and we must still do all we can to limit the spread of this virus through this winter by keeping to the restrictions. If we don’t, more lives will be lost.”