London: Britain's announcement that it has become the first Western country to authorise the use of a covid-19 vaccine has sparked debate about whether officials emphasized speed over safety.The UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency gave temporary authorisation for people to receive a vaccine produced by U.S.
drugmaker Pfizer and German company BioNTech.The agency made the decision under rules allowing regulators to sign off on medicines more quickly during public health emergencies.The move made the United Kingdom the world's first country to OK a rigorously tested covid-19 vaccine.