As U.S. races toward COVID-19 vaccine, Britain takes the lead

Britain leapt ahead of the United States in approving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, intensifying scrutiny on U.S. regulators as they consider whether to grant emergency use in the country that leads the world in coronavirus infections.

A day after top U.S. health officials announced plans to begin vaccinating Americans as early as mid-December, British regulators granted emergency use approval to the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc along with Germany’s BioNTech SE.

Dr. Jose Romero, chairman of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said...