An 82-year-old Oxford patient is the first to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine today.
Former maintenance manager, and dialysis patient, Brian Pinker received the vaccine at 7:30 this morning at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.
This vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford in alliance with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and is set to roll out protection to 50 million people within the coming months.
More than half a million doses of this vaccine are already ready for distribution as the UK nears what could be its third lockdown.
Unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine does not need to be stored at incredibly low temperatures, meaning it can be easily and quickly distributed throughout the country.
“I am so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and really proud that it was one that was invented in Oxford,” says Mr. Pinker.
“The nurses, doctors, and staff today have all been brilliant and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year.”
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine “follows rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the date by experts at the MHRA, which has concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness.”
Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast that the Oxford vaccine was “a pivotal moment” in the battle against the coronavirus, saying “it’s going to be a tough few weeks ahead, but this is the way out.”
Madeleine Raine
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