The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation.

The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. The vaccine works by delivering the genetic code of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to the body’s cells, similarly to the mRNA vaccines. Once inside the body, the spike protein is produced, causing the immune system to recognise it and initiate an immune response.

It is recognised that a vaccine is urgently needed to prevent people from becoming severely ill and dying from COVID-19. The aim of the UK COVID-19 vaccination programme is to protect those who are most at risk. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists around the world have come together to focus their efforts on developing vaccines to prevent people from becoming infected with the coronavirus. Over 270 vaccines are in various stages of development, and some of these utilise similar technologies to existing vaccines in use, whilst others involve newer approaches.

Although clinical trials have been completed more rapidly during the pandemic, this has been achieved by overlapping the different stages (phase 1, 2 and 3) of clinical testing rather than completing them sequentially.

Assessment of safety has not been compromised and the trials have been subject to the same strict regulatory requirements as any other vaccine studies. Each of the vaccines that has received or is under review for temporary licensing have been tested in trials with over 20,000 people, collecting many months of safety follow-up data. In many cases, these trials are larger than trials for other drugs and vaccines which have been licensed.

See below for information about how vaccines are developed and how some of the administrative processes were speeded up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With thanks to Nature for permission to use this video.¹⁾

The Oxford COVID-19 vaccine team has worked at unprecedented speed in a race against the global threat to human health that is coronavirus. Information is available on The Oxford Vaccine page. ²⁾

In a new report, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism have assessed and reviewed how people in six countries, including the United Kingdom, access news and information about Covid-19 during late March and early April 2020. (see Reuters TNI ³⁾ )

The researchers have reviewed how people rate the trustworthiness of different sources for news, and the levels of misinformation that people are encountering. You can access the full report on the Reuters Institute’s webpage. ⁴⁾