Creating an effective COVID-19 vaccine in less than a year was a scientific achievement akin to a moon-landing, the architect of the AstraZeneca shot says. 

Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert led the supercharged effort to develop the viral-vector vaccine — approved for use in all but a handful of countries — and has received rock star treatment for her endeavours. 

But the University of Oxford vaccinologist stresses the process had demanded a series of small steps — more than any giant leap for mankind.

“We needed to do so many different things and make them all work together at the same time and do it as quickly as possible,” she said in an interview with the ABC last night.