Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
- 28 October 2022
- 3 min read
Explore the timeline of our research to help develop the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and its impact.
Reducing transmission and saving lives
The NIHR and its partners played a critical role in the successful development and roll-out of a safe vaccine to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our research has shown that the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 infection and transmission, with a single dose offering good protection.
More than 37 million people in the UK received this vaccine or another approved vaccine, thanks to NIHR support.
Impact timeline
1994
Research
The Oxford Vaccine Group is established, creating clinical and laboratory research capacity, capability and expertise for infectious diseases research.
Funded by: NIHR, life sciences industry, charities, government funders
2012
Research
A new technology is used successfully by Oxford to create a vaccine for the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV).
Funded by: NIHR, Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council
2020
Research
Researchers show that the MERS-CoV vaccine is a promising candidate to be adapted to target the novel coronavirus.
Funded by: NIHR
Early trial findings show that the new vaccine candidate triggers an immune response and is safe.
Funded by: NIHR, UKRI, AstraZeneca
International results from more than 11,000 study participants show that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective at preventing COVID-19.
Funded by: NIHR, life sciences industry, charities, government funders
Impact
Clinical trial evidence informs regulatory approval of the vaccine, with the government authorising its roll out across the UK.
2021
Impact
NHS launches roll out of the vaccine across the UK in priority groups.
Research
A Scottish study shows that a single dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is effective at preventing hospitalisation from COVID-19.
Funded by: NIHR, life sciences industry, charities, government funders
Trials involving over 32,000 adults show that the vaccine is effective against symptomatic COVID-19, severe or critical disease, and hospitalisation.
Funded by: AstraZeneca, UK government funders, US government funders
Research shows that a single dose of the vaccine is effective in both preventing new COVID-19 infections and reducing severe COVID-19 in older adults in England.
Funded by: NIHR, UK public health agencies
An estimated 10,400 deaths in over 60s in England are prevented during the first three months of the vaccination programme.
A single dose of the vaccine is shown to reduce transmission of infection to others by 65%, and reduce household transmission from symptomatic cases by up to half.
Funded by: Public Health England, UK government
Impact
COVAX delivers over 49 million vaccines to 121 countries, more than 37 million of which are Oxford-AstraZeneca - the most widely used, globally.
More than 37 million people receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, either Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.
2020
Impact
One year after the UK became the first country in the world to administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, around 50 million doses had been administered in the UK.
Source: One year anniversary of UK deploying Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
Over 3 billion doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have been made available for use in 183 countries worldwide.
Source: Oxford vaccine saved most lives in its first year of rollout
The data and sequence of events presented in the infographic is a snapshot of the wider work carried out across the research and development and health and care research ecosystem in the UK. It was not possible to undertake a comprehensive analysis of all the work that has underpinned this area.
This infographic should therefore be treated as a high-level overview.
