This is an extract from an article I just RTd (link below) it deals with what I've trying to argue about most of today. The UK made an upfront payment to AZ as "risk money" with no guarantee of return, to help upscale production.

Here's the article, really interesting read, it has it's own tweet, so you can see it properly. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jan/29/we-had-to-go-it-alone-how-the-uk-got-ahead-in-the-covid-vaccine-race

I have a feeling, which I said earlier, that it was the government's early dealings with Sarah Gilbert that made it so much more aware of the need to offer that risk money, and scale up production. So we probably have more to thank her for than just the vaccine, it's supply too.