The Oxford University/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has been rolled out today.
Dialysis patient, 82 year old Brian Pinker was the first to receive the jab at Oxford’s Churchill hospital this morning.
The NHS is the first health service in the world to deploy the life-saving jab, which has been authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after meeting strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. It is the only approved vaccine which can be stored at fridge temperatures.
The government has secured access to 100 million doses of the vaccine on behalf of the whole of the UK, crown dependencies and overseas territories.
More than 730 vaccination sites have already been established across the UK and hundreds more are opening this week.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said; “I am delighted that today we are rolling out the Oxford vaccine – a testament to British science. This is a pivotal moment in our fight against this awful virus and I hope it provides renewed hope to everybody that the end of this pandemic is in sight.”
More than a million people in the UK have already been vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.