Prince William praises team behind Oxford University coronavirus vaccine

Prince William has praised the makers of the Oxford University Covid-19 vaccine in a personal phone call today.

During the call, The Duke of Cambridge said: “Well done, I’m so pleased for all of you.

“I really am. I saw it in everyone’s faces back in June how much time and effort was going into this, and I could see that there was a lot of pressure on everyone, so I’m so thrilled that you’ve cracked it – so really well done.”

It was revealed earlier this month that the duke contracted the virus in April.

The University of Oxford, in collaboration with AstraZeneca plc, says interim trial data from its Phase III trials that show its candidate vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-2019, is effective at preventing COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) and offers a high level of protection.

Professor Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and Chief Investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial, said: "These findings show that we have an effective vaccine that will save many lives.

"Excitingly, we’ve found that one of our dosing regimens may be around 90% effective and if this dosing regimen is used, more people could be vaccinated with planned vaccine supply.

Today’s announcement is only possible thanks to the many volunteers in our trial, and the hard working and talented team of researchers based around the world."

Professor Sarah Gilbert, Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Oxford, said: "The announcement today takes us another step closer to the time when we can use vaccines to bring an end to the devastation caused by SARS-CoV-2.

"We will continue to work to provide the detailed information to regulators. It has been a privilege to be part of this multi-national effort which will reap benefits for the whole world."

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