The rapid authorization could provide a political boost to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose handling of the pandemic so far has been criticized from both sides of the political spectrum in the U.K. From his own party, lawmakers have argued his lockdowns have been too strict, while opposition parties say he was too slow to appreciate the threat of the coronavirus when it emerged. They point to expensive programs, such as a countrywide test-and-trace system, that have struggled to make an impact on infection rates.

The U.K. has suffered the fourth-highest death rate of the major European countries -- after Belgium, Spain and Italy -- and its economic performance has been among the weakest in the region this year. This week, a second national lockdown across England is set to end as new Covid-19 cases fall across most of the country and related deaths start to level off. England will then enter into a phase of regional restrictions, with curbs on hospitality businesses across much of the country.

Mr. Johnson's battle against Covid-19 has also been personal. In April, he was hospitalized in an intensive-care unit and received oxygen after testing positive and showing symptoms of the virus.

--Jason Douglas contributed to this article.

Write to Bojan Pancevski at bojan.pancevski@wsj.com, Jenny Strasburg at jenny.strasburg@wsj.com and Jared S. Hopkins at jared.hopkins@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

12-02-20 1302ET