First Generation Vaccines28 Oct 2020 04:45
The chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce has said the first generation of COVID-19 vaccines "is likely to be imperfect" and that they "might not work for everyone".
Writing in The lancet, Kate Bingham said no vaccine in the history of medicine "has been as eagerly anticipated" and that "vaccination is widely regarded as the only true exit strategy from the pandemic that is currently spreading globally".
But she cautioned against over-optimism and that any vaccine might not work for everyone, or for very long.
"We do not know that we will ever have a vaccine at all," she wrote. "It is important to guard against complacency and over-optimism.
"The first generation of vaccines is likely to be imperfect, and we should be prepared that they might not prevent infection but rather reduce symptoms, and, even then, might not work for everyone or for long."
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The Vaccine Taskforce was created by Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government's chief scientific advisor. It was set up under the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in May 2020, and Ms Bingham reports directly to the prime minister.
In her Lancet article she said that the "strategy has been to build a diverse portfolio across different formats to give the UK the greatest chance of providing a safe and effective vaccine, recognising that many, and possibly all, of these vaccines could fail".
Well I sure haven"t heard many positives about them at a time when people are really looking for them!