Britain has approved Valneva's Covid-19 vaccine, making it the first European country to give a nod to the French firm's coronavirus shot that is easier to store and involves a process widely used in making flu and polio vaccines.

The shot is also the sixth Covid-19 vaccine to be approved in the United Kingdom (UK), reports Reuters.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, UK's independent medicines regulator, said Valneva's Covid-19 vaccine met the required safety, quality and effectiveness standards.

“It (Valneva shot) is also the first, whole-virus inactivated Covid-19 vaccine to gain regulatory approval in the UK,” the regulator said in a statement.