LONDON: On Monday, the British scientist who has designed the Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine received a standing ovation at the Wimbledon, the prestigious tennis tournament held annually in the English capital.

Dame Sarah Gilbert, the woman behind the development of the Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine is a British vaccinologist working as a Saïd Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Oxford and is a co-founder of Vaccitech. Gilbert specializes in the development of vaccines against influenza and emerging viral pathogens like novel coronavirus.

Oxford's vaccine is by far the most used vaccine across the world. Around 140 countries are using the English product.

Upon unexpectedly receiving the standing ovation during the tennis match at the legendary Wimbledon's Center Court, the accomplished scientist was taken by surprise.

Her bemused look went viral on social media where she was hailed as a hero by the public globally. Soon tributes started pouring in. Twitteratis had this to say:

Tennis legend Billie King also mentioned Gilbert in her tweet:

The British royal family also joined in appreciating the vaccinologist:

About time we start appreciating our health care providers, scientists, and all essential workers who have worked round the clock in this pandemic. It took a pandemic for us to start valuing our health workers and scientists, but as they say, better late than never.