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Brit pensioner, 82, becomes first person in the world to get Oxford Covid vaccine as rollout begins
A BRIT pensioner has become the first person in the world to get the "game-changer" Oxford Covid vaccine - as the jab roll out began today.
Brian Pinker, 82, a dialysis patient who describes himself as "Oxford born and bred", received the jab at Oxford University Hospital at 7.30am.
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The retired maintenance manager said: "I am so pleased to be getting the Covid vaccine today and really proud that 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 with my wife Shirley later this year."
Sam Foster, Chief Nursing Officer at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who administered the vaccine to Mr Pinker, said: "It was a real privilege to be able to deliver the first Oxford vaccine at the Churchill Hospital here in Oxford, just a few hundred metres from where it was developed.
"We look forward to vaccinating many more patients and health and care staff with the Oxford vaccine in the coming weeks which will make a huge difference to people living in the communities we serve and the staff who care for them in our hospitals."
I am so pleased to be getting the Covid vaccine today and really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford
Brian Pinker
Also among the first to have the vaccine since it was approved for use was Professor Andrew Pollard, who is the director of the Oxford vaccine group.
Prof Pollard said: “It was an incredibly proud moment for me to have received the actual vaccine that the University of Oxford and the AstraZeneca teams have worked so hard to make available to the UK and the world.
"As a paediatrician specialising in infections, I know how important it is that healthcare workers along with other priority groups are protected as soon as possible - a crucial role in defeating this terrible disease.”
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'BRITISH SUCCESS STORY'
Health Secretary Matt Hancock hailed the vaccine a "big British success story, starting today" but said that fighting the virus was "a massive national effort".
He told Sky News today: "It isn't about blame, it's about how we collectively, as a society, keep this under control for the next couple of months… until the vaccines can make us safe."
Mr Hancock said the NHS had the capacity to deliver two million doses a week of the vaccine once it received supplies from the manufacturers.
It's the second vaccine to be rolled out in the UK, after the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was first given to 91-year-old Margaret Keenan on December 8.
Boris Johnson pledged to vaccinate tens of millions within three months, while five thousand troops will begin “Operation Freedom” — with 530,000 Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs ready to roll out in the war on coronavirus.
Speaking today, the Prime Minister said there would be a "massive ramp up" in vaccination numbers.
He added: "There's a massive ramp up operation now going on.
"The rate limiting factor is now not supply of vaccines although we want that to go faster, it's getting them properly tested and getting them to the NHS.
"It's not the ability to distribute the vaccine, it's not the shortage of staff.
"It's getting it properly tested. That will ramp up in the weeks ahead."
Hospitals at six NHS trusts across London, Brighton, Oxford, Morecambe and Nuneaton will be the first to give the vaccine.
It will reach more than 500 GP surgeries and community centres by the end of the week — with the Prime Minister saying “we are going as fast as we can”.
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Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, described the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine as "another turning point in our way out of this pandemic".
He told BBC Breakfast today: "It's a remarkable scientific achievement. Who would have thought that, within a year of this virus first becoming apparent, that we would have not just one vaccine but two vaccines that we are able to use?"
He added: "Four weeks ago I had the privilege to be in Coventry for the first jab of the Pfizer vaccine - remember Maggie Keenan got that first jab - that felt like a huge moment in this pandemic and, to be honest, today, when I saw the first jab in the building behind me of the AstraZeneca vaccine, felt like an even bigger moment, another turning point in our way out of this pandemic."
He continued: "We've been preparing in the NHS for many months for the biggest vaccination programme in our history.
"We've already delivered over a million vaccines of the Pfizer jab; now we've got the AstraZeneca one, so we aim to get it into people's arms as quickly as it is supplied to us.
"If we get two million doses a week, our aim is to get two million doses into the arms of those priority groups."
Asked what AstraZeneca has said about supplies, Prof Powis said: "As the Prime Minister said, we're aiming for tens of millions of doses by the time we get to April.
"This is a new vaccine, each batch will need to be looked at before it's released, so that schedule will become clearer over the next few weeks, but, as I said, we are raring to go."
'100 MILLION DOSES'
Britain has ordered 100 million doses of the new vaccine, enough for 50 million people.
It can be stored in a fridge making it easier to get into care homes and GP surgeries.
Along with the 40 million doses of the Pfizer treatment, we will have enough to protect the entire population.
The Army will play a key role in today’s roll-out with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace hailing its impact.
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A total of 21 teams will support seven regions of NHS England in giving the new vaccine. And 800 Army personnel will boost mass testing in Manchester.
The 5,000 total — including 2,000 newly deployed this week — will be working in Kent, Kirklees in Yorkshire, across Lancashire and in Swadlincote, Derbyshire.
The PM again backed The Sun’s Jabs Army plea for volunteers to help the operation. And he revealed he and Health Secretary Matt Hancock are working to tear up red tape so retired doctors can inject Brits.
Mr Hancock said: “I’m delighted that today we are rolling out the Oxford vaccine, a testament to British science.
“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.”
'PIVOTAL MOMENT'
His comments came as alarming analysis showed 13million — a quarter of England’s population — live in areas with no jab centres ready. And up to eight million face a ten-mile round trip to get to a site.
Bedford, Newark and Braintree — with a combined population of 330,000 — have no sites.
Nottingham, with 335,000 people, has just its main hospital, says the analysis of 697 centres in England.
London, where cases are sky-high, averages eight sites for every million people.
Yesterday 454 people died from Covid, bringing total deaths to 75,024.
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Another 54,990 tested positive for the virus — the sixth day in a row numbers have topped 50,000.
Meanwhile primary schools start back after the holidays today but the PM admitted restrictions are “about to get tougher” — with Tier 5 likely on the way.
Many schools resume today but asked if a Tier 5 was on the cards, the PM said the system is “probably, alas, about to get tougher”.
He added: “Until the vaccine really comes on stream in a massive way, we’re fighting this virus with the same set of tools.”
Former PM Tony Blair said Boris needed a blueprint to vaccinate people as quickly as possible.
He told Times Radio: “We should be aiming to get up to three, four, five million a week.”,
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the nation should be plunged into a full national lockdown within 24 hours to help stem the tide.
He added: “The virus is clearly out of control and there’s no point the Prime Minister hinting that further restrictions are coming to place in a week or two or three.
“That delay has been the source of so many problems so I say bring those restrictions now, within the next 24 hours.”
Prof Sir Mark Walport, of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said: “It is clear we are going to need more.”
And Chris Hopson, of NHS Providers, demanded “appropriate restrictions” after hospital admissions shot up since Christmas.ImageUpload an image file, pick one from your media library, or add one with a URL.UploadMedia Library
The vaccine is a brilliant example of British scientific expertise, determination and ingenuity in the face of adversity.
It gives hope not just to the people of this nation but to the world.
We should be mightily proud of Prof Sarah Gilbert and her team of vaccinologists, as we are proud of the thousands of Sun readers who have already stepped forward to join our Jabs Army.
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It is vital that we get the life-saving vaccines out to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, and those selfless volunteers stand ready to help in this huge logistical task.
The vaccines are our road to freedom; our means of escape from the tyranny of this dreadful disease.
In the meantime, cases are rising alarmingly and our heroic health workers are under huge pressure.
So there may yet be a need for more and tougher restrictions before we return to the normality that we crave.
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS
Imperial College London expert Prof Robin Shattock said it was “pretty likely” the festive period and positive vaccine news has probably made people relax.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
He added: “They need to make sure they adhere to these precautions because this virus is very transmissible.
“And even though the NHS will move as fast as possible, two million vaccinations a week — if we can get to that level — is still going to be slow to provide the level of immunity that will start to impact on hospital admissions.”
Matt Hancock says govt 'can't rule anything out' after Labour's Keir Starmer calls for new national lockdown to stop rise of Covid-19
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