High-profile visitors to the laboratories included Prince William and Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Jenner Institute Picture: PA The Government ordered 100 million doses – enough to vaccinate 50 million people and following its approval for use, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the rollout would start on January 4. Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said in December: “The regulator’s assessment that this is a safe and effective vaccine is a landmark moment, and an endorsement of the huge effort from a devoted international team of researchers and our dedicated trial participants. “Though this is just the beginning, we will start to get ahead of the pandemic, protect health and economies when the vulnerable are vaccinated everywhere, as many as possible as soon possible.”
Boris Johnson visiting earlier this year Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: It is truly fantastic news - and a triumph for British science - that the @UniofOxford/@AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use. We will now move to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible. A dedicated team of scientists at the university has been working on the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine trial. Among those who have helped with the vaccine project are the Viney family from Bicester. Katie and Tony Viney and their daughter Rhiannon were among more than 1,000 participants hoping they could help to tackle the pandemic.