Covid vaccine scientist given her own Barbie

The scientist who helped make the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, has been given her own special edition Barbie.

Mattel - the company that makes Barbie - has been celebrating the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) during the pandemic.

As part of this, Professor Gilbert has been honoured as a 'Barbie Role Model' for her work creating the Oxford-Astrazeneca jab.

She's one of five amazing scientists from around the world who have had special one-of-a-kind Barbie produced for them.

"I am passionate about inspiring the next generation of girls into STEM careers and hope that children who see my Barbie will realise how vital careers in science are," she said.

More than 46.8 million people in the UK have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine - part of the biggest vaccine programme the country has ever launched.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca injection is one of the main vaccines which has been used for this.

The other scientists being honoured by Barbie include American nurse Amy O'Sullivan who treated the first COVID-19 patient at the Wycoff Hospital in Brooklyn.

After contracting the virus herself, O'Sullivan returned to work when she was recovered to help others.

Dr Kirby White from Australia is another of those being honoured.

She is the co-founder of "Gowns for Doctors" - a company which created gowns that can be laundered and re-used, allowing frontline workers in Australia to continue seeing patients during the pandemic.