Brian Pinker became the first UK patient to receive the Oxford vaccine this morning.
82-year-old dialysis patient, Brian Pinker, became the first person in the world to receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was approved just last week and at 7:30 am this morning, Parker received the world’s first jab at Churchill Hospital in Oxford, marking the start of the mass rollout. The UK is now in possession of 100 million doses of the vaccine which is enough to immunise the majority of the population. Over 500,000 doses will be available from today with the rest arriving in the upcoming weeks. [Featured image: NHS England via Twitter]
Born and raised in Oxford, Pinker explained that receiving this vaccine would both ease his concerns as he continues treatment and fill him with pride. He said “I am so pleased to be getting the Covid vaccine today and am really proud it is one that was invented in Oxford. The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary later this year.”
'I'm so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and really proud it is one that was invented in Oxford.'
82-year-old Brian Pinker became the first person in the world to receive the new Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine this morning at @OUHospitals. 💉 pic.twitter.com/nhnd3Sx97m
— NHS England (@NHSEngland) January 4, 2021
The new vaccine will be administered at a handful of hospitals in England over the next few days. These include the Oxford University Hospitals where the vaccine was developed, two hospitals in London and others in Sussex, Lancashire and Warwickshire. According to the Department of Health and Social Care, supplies will also be delivered to GPs and care homes across the UK later this week, resulting in over 1000 vaccination sites.
Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “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.”