First generation of COVID-19 vaccine 'likely to be imperfect', warns UK taskforce chief

Kate Bingham, head of UK government's vaccine taskforce, on Tuesday, October 27 warned that first generation of COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be imperfect and might t work for everyone. Bingham, in a piece that she wrote in Lancet medical journal, said that people should be prepared for vaccines that are likely to be imperfect and might t prevent infection but rar reduce symptoms and n t work for long or on everyone. 

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'All vaccines may fail' 

Bingham said that UK government's vaccine taskforce recognises that re is a possibility of many or all of se vaccines failing and hence has focused on drugs that can trigger an immune response in people over 65 years of because that is most affected group by COVID-19 pandemic.  Bingham said that y are considering only those vaccines that have potential for approval by Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory ncy and European Medicines ncy and for vaccine delivery as early as end of 2020 or, at latest, in second half of 2021.

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Bingham said that vaccine taskforce has w secured access to six vaccines from 240 vaccines being developed across world. She said that vaccines y have secured are across four different formats - adeviral vectors, mRNA, adjuvanted proteins, and whole inactivated viral vaccines, adding that all of se are promising in different ways. She dubbed AstraZeneca and Oxford's vaccine as most advanced in race and said that y also have an agreement with company to supply a neutralising antibody cocktail as a prophylactic treatment, for people who cant receive a vaccine or people who need immediate protection, such as health-care workers.

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Earlier re were reports that NHS Trust hospitals have been asked to prepare for arrival of first dose of a potential COVID-19 vaccine before Christmas. Sun had reported that a major UK hospital is preparing to receive first consignment of COVID-19 vaccine and could become first medical facility in world to provide COVID vaccination. 

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