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An 82-year-old Briton on Monday became the first person in the world to receive the controversial COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.
Brian Pinker, a dialysis patient born and raised in Oxford, received the vaccine at 7:30 a.m. as the UK rolled out the latest vaccine, a vaccine the US has yet to approve amid questions about the errors made during testing.
“I am so happy to receive the COVID vaccine today and really proud that it is the one that was invented in Oxford,” Pinker said, according to the UK’s National Health Service.
“I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year.”
Oxford University Hospital Chief of Nursing Sam Foster administered the shot, calling it a “real privilege” to give it “just a few hundred yards from where it was developed.”
The head of the vaccine trial, Professor Andrew Pollard, was among the first group to receive the vaccine on Monday, calling it “an incredibly proud moment.”
The AstraZeneca / Oxford jab has been praised for several key advantages over other vaccines. It is cheaper and can be stored and transported more easily as it does not need to be kept at ultra-cold temperatures.
However, it is unlikely to gain approval in the United States until April at the earliest, as regulators await further studies, according to Operation Warp Speed’s chief scientist.
The jab’s research team had admitted to accidentally underdosing during testing, which produced the best results – but raised further questions about the relatively small size and young age of those given that dose.
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