Empty glass vial from the first use of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford Vaccine Group and AstraZeneca and delivered to Brian Pinker at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford on 4th January 2021. Collected as part of the Covid-19 Collecting Project. (LOT AB0001, EXP 04-2021, SERIAL 3041572008)

The COVID-19 vaccine created by the Oxford Vaccine Group in collaboration with the biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca was developed, tested and approved in less than a year. The active element in the vaccine is made from an adenovirus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees, which was modified so that it cannot cause an infection. It is used to deliver the genetic code for the coronavirus spike protein to prime the recipient's body for an infection of COVID-19. Vaccine development has been recognised as the crucial means to best protect individuals and to ultimately control the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccine was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 30th December 2020 and this vial contained the first doses of this vaccine to be used in the UK’s national programme – which was the first in the world to use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The initial dose was given to Brian Pinker at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford on 4th January 2021.