Critics of jab development speed frustrating, says Dame Sarah Gilbert

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T

he woman who led the development of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine admitted to being frustrated with criticism of how quickly the jab was created.

Professor Dame Sarah Gilberts, a branch of the University of Oxford, Vaccitech, was at the forefront of designing a vaccine against the coronavirus when the pandemic broke out.

In less than two weeks, she had designed a vaccine for it, and it was approved for use only 351 days later.

It’s frustrating when people say development has been too fast without saying why it would be.

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Dame Sarah and her team have been recognized around the world for their achievements, receiving numerous awards. The toy company Mattel even created a Barbie doll in honor of Dame Sarah.

But in an interview with The Telegraph, Dame Sarah said that while it was natural for people to hesitate, she found it frustrating to criticize the speed of vaccine development.

She told the newspaper it comes down to advancements in technology and the reality of working in the midst of a global pandemic.

We were able to overlap with processes that you would normally do sequentially, she said.

We had less waiting to do between work items. But we still took the normal regulatory route. Yes, we did it quickly, but we didn’t miss a step.

It’s frustrating when people say development has been too fast without saying why.

Dame Sarah holding a Barbie doll made in honor of the Oxford vaccine co-creator (Andy Paradise / Mattel / PA) / PA Media

Dame Sarah and a member of her vaccine development team, Professor Catherine Green, even took the time to write a Vaxxers book aimed at explaining how the jab was created legibly and accurately.

We wanted to explain how we did this so quickly, said Dame Sarah.

We understand that it is natural for people to hesitate.

Dame Sarah’s comments come after she received the prestigious Bold Woman Award from Veuve Clicquot in honor of her work.

Global recognition was accompanied by a rise to celebrity status, with Dame Sarah telling The Telegraph that she received many TV offers, but turned them down in order to focus on her job.

When asked if she would consider a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, she replied: Not even Strictly. I want to get back to science.

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