UK marks first anniversary of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine

Prime Minister Boris Johnson credited the vaccine produced by scientists at the University of Oxford and manufactured by AstraZeneca with helping the world combat the COVID-19 pandemic

The UK is on Thursday marking the first anniversary of the approval of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to protect against COVID-19.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson credited the vaccine produced by scientists at the University of Oxford and manufactured by AstraZeneca with helping the world combat the COVID-19 pandemic and saving millions of lives.

Our fight against COVID in the UK and around the world would not have been possible without the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, said Johnson.

Developed by brilliant scientists at Oxford and delivered on a not-for-profit basis thanks to AstraZeneca, this vaccine has provided 50 million doses to the British public and over 2.5 billion to more than 170 other countries. We can all be incredibly proud of and grateful for a jab that has saved many millions of lives, he said.

On December 30, 2020, the UK became the first country in the world to approve the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Since then, more than 50 million vaccines have been administered in the country and millions more around the world as part of manufacturing partnerships.

Today marks one year since the UK made history by being the first country in the world to approve the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, a UK-made and government-funded vaccine, which has been absolutely pivotal in helping to save millions of lives around the world, said UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

I'm incredibly proud of the role the UK has played in developing, researching and manufacturing ground-breaking vaccines and treatments during the pandemic, he said.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) highlighted early investment in the Oxford University team since 2016 and in their COVID-19 vaccines since March 2020, which paved the way for approval by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The DHSC said almost two-thirds of these have gone to low and lower-middle-income countries, including more than 30 million doses donated by the UK through the World Health Organisation's COVAX initiative or bilaterally. The UK has announced that it will donate a further 20 million Oxford/AstraZeneca doses to countries in need next year as part of the government's commitment to donate 100 million doses overall.

Tom Keith-Roach, President of AstraZeneca UK, added: I am quietly humbled and hugely proud of the work we have done together to get 50 million doses into people's arms here in the UK and over 2.5 billion doses to people in over 170 countries globally in less than 12 months.