Astra-Zeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Vial

Empty vial of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, lot number PV46694, expiry date 08-2021, from the Science Museum NHS COVID-19 vaccination centre, 2021

8 doses for 8 people were once inside this vaccine vial. 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.The vaccine was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 30 December 2020.

After weeks of careful planning and installation, the NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Centre at the Science Museum first welcomed people to receive their COVID-19 vaccine on 11 March 2021. Run by NHS staff and volunteers, the clinic delivered over 122,000 doses to people over the course of a year. People had to pre-book their appointments when invited by the NHS. When the clinic first opened, the museum was closed to visitors but reopened on 19 May 2021 for five days a week.