Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine creators win Copley Medal

CAIRO – 25 August 2022: The Royal Society announced that the scientific and research team that produced the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 won the Copley Medal award, in a precedent that is the first of its kind in the history of the award, which has not been awarded to a scientific team for nearly 300 years.

Researchers, technicians, students and support staff responsible for the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have been awarded the Copley Medal by the Royal Society for their rapid development and deployment of a vaccine against COVID-19.

“It is wonderful to have such recognition for the team that developed the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine,” said Dame Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccines at Oxford University, who received the award on behalf of the members of the scientific team.

“When work on the vaccine began in 2020, we needed to bring together people with complementary expertise to allow us to move quickly and plan for many more stages ahead. So many people have worked very hard for a very long time, and winning this award lets the whole team know how much their dedication is appreciated," resumed Gilbert.