LONDON (Reuters) -The Oxford University-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine approved by Britain on Wednesday provides a path out of the pandemic by the spring, by which time millions of vulnerable people will be protected, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said. “The NHS will be able to deliver these shots into people’s arms at the speed at which it can be manufactured,” he told Sky News. “I am also now, with this approval this morning, highly confident that we can get enough vulnerable people vaccinated by the spring that we can now see our route out of this pandemic.” He said the recommended 12-week gap between the first and second doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot was “very helpful” because it enabled more people to be immunized with a first shot that offered a high level of protection on its own.