Vaccine Taskforce
TheVaccine Taskforcein theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irelandwas set up in April 2020 by theSecond Johnson ministry,in collaboration withChief Scientific AdvisorPatrick VallanceandChief Medical OfficerProfessor Chris Whitty,in order to facilitate the path towards the introduction of aCOVID-19 vaccinein the UK and its global distribution.[1]The taskforce coordinated the research efforts of government with industry, academics and funding agencies in order to expedite vaccine development and deployment.[2][3]
The minister responsible for the body was theSecretary of State for Health and Social Care,although the body was a joint unit of theDepartment of Health and Social Careand theDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.Oversight was by theParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment,and in November 2020 the first person to take this role wasNadhim ZahawiMP.
The Vaccine Taskforce closed in autumn 2022. Its role in vaccine supply was merged into theUK Health Security Agency,and its work in bringing vaccine manufacture in-country transferred to theOffice for Life Sciences.[4]
History
[edit]The body was set up in April 2020 by the Government's Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir Patrick Vallance.[5]
On 16 May 2020, venture capitalistKate Binghamwas named to chair the body.[1]On 1 July, Bingham told theScience and Technology Select CommitteethatSarah Gilbertand "Oxford University(are) leading the world in developing a vaccine againstCOVID-19and offers the best chance of having something protective against the virus as we go into winter. "[6]
On 12 September, it came to light thatSir John Bellwas a member of the body.[7]
On 14 October, the chair managed public expectation by stating that a vaccine for COVID-19 was expected to be no moreefficaciousthan theflu vaccine,which immunises against the influenza virus with around 50 per cent success. Bingham added: "We shouldn't assume it's going to be better than a flu vaccine, because that's an equivalent – it's a mutating… respiratory virus that gets in through the nose and eyes and respiratory tract".[8]
Speaking toBBC Scotland'sThe Sevenon 17 October, Bingham said that the government would have to arrive at an agreement with theJoint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation(JCVI) as to how any COVID-19 vaccine should be distributed; the staff of care homes and the elderly are likely to be prioritised. She stated that initially there would be a limited supply any COVID-19 vaccine.[9]
On 18 October 2020,SAGEcommittee member, SirJeremy Farrar,commented onSophy Ridge On Sundaythat the Vaccine Taskforce "has done an absolutely extraordinary job" and the country is in an "extraordinarily strong position" with regard to the line-up of possible vaccines.[10]
A government press release of 20 October shed further light on the initial formation of the taskforce, stating that it was created under the auspices of theDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy(BEIS) in May 2020.[11]Nadhim Zahawiwas appointed to the new role ofParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for COVID-19 Vaccine Deploymenton 28 November 2020, with responsibility for the taskforce.[12]On 1 March 2021, ministerial responsibility transferred from BEIS to theSecretary of State for Health and Social Care,and the taskforce became a joint unit of BEIS and theDepartment of Health and Social Care.[13]
Personnel
[edit]On 14 June 2021, the microbiologistSir Richard Sykeswas appointed chair of the Vaccine Taskforce.[14]
As of June 2022[update],the director-general of the taskforce is Madelaine McTernan.[4]
Steering group
[edit]In June 2021, theDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategyconfirmed in response to aFreedom of Information Actrequest that the taskforce's formal steering group had been disbanded, with the taskforce now being managed by a senior leadership team of civil servants and experts, with Sir Richard Sykes as its external chair.[15]
Former membership
[edit]Until November 2020, the membership of the taskforce was unknown. AFreedom of Information Actrequest to obtain the membership was responded to with three pages of redacted names.[16]As of that month, the steering group was made up of:[17]
- Kate Bingham,chair
- Clive Dix, deputy chair
- Nick Elliott MBE, Director-General,Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy(BEIS)
- Ruth Todd, Director, BEIS
- Madelaine McTernan, Director,UK Government Investments
- Tim Colley, Director,BEIS
- Dan Osgood, Director,BEIS
- Divya Chadha Manek,National Institute for Health Research
- Ian McCubbin, Manufacturing Advisor – former Senior Vice President for Global Manufacturing and Supply atGlaxoSmithKline
- Steve Bates, Chief Executive Officer, BioIndustry Association
- ProfessorJonathan Van-Tam,Clinical and Public Health Adviser to theVTF,Deputy Chief Medical Officer,Department of Health and Social Care
- Representatives of other government departments and public sector organisations attendedVTFSteering Group meetings as required
Developments
[edit]On 20 October 2020, theFinancial Timesreported that potential COVID-19 vaccines would be selected for testing by the taskforce towards the end of the first quarter of 2021, but this was dependent on the outcome of "characterisation studies".[18]The article also mentioned funding of £33.6 million being provided by government to accelerate the development of new COVID-19 vaccines by exposing human trial participants to thecoronavirusin controlled conditions around 30 days after having received a shortlisted vaccine. The work of the taskforce was bolstered by a further tranche of £19.7 million in funding for clinical trial-related blood testing facilities atPublic Health England,specifically atPHE Porton Down.[19]
On 22 October, Oxford Immunotec announced that the company had been chosen by the taskforce to be the unique supplier ofT celltesting forSARS-Cov-2.The move was underscored with a £3 million investment, as the Business Secretary,Alok Sharma,emphasised the importance of T cell diagnostic capabilities in assessing the performance of candidate vaccines within COVID-19 vaccine trials.[20]
On 27 October 2020, an article by Bingham was published inThe Lancet.It highlighted the taskforce's overall strategy of a diverse portfolio of vaccines, with an emphasis on those thought capable of achieving an immune response in the over-65s. From an initial pool of 240 potential vaccines, the taskforce selected six candidates which employ four varied methods:adenoviral vectors,mRNA,adjuvanted proteins,and wholeinactivated viral vaccines.The article also revealed that Clive Dix was the taskforce's deputy chair.[21]It was reported the following day that Bingham had warned in theLancetarticle that first-generation COVID-19 vaccines would probably not be perfect, and would only lessen symptoms rather than prevent infection and that they "might not work for everyone or for long".[22]
Related bodies
[edit]The Department of Health and Social Care set up an Antivirals Taskforce in April 2021, to identify and deploy post-infectionantiviralmedicines which could be taken by people at home.[23]By September 2022, the name of the body had changed to the COVID-19 Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce.[24]
See also
[edit]- Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
- COVID-19 vaccination programme in the United Kingdom
References
[edit]- ^ab"Kate Bingham appointed chair of UK Vaccine Taskforce".GOV.UK OGL v3.0. 16 May 2020.
- ^"Government launches Vaccine Taskforce to combat coronavirus".gov.uk.17 April 2020.Retrieved6 October2020.
- ^Vaccine Taskforce Aims(PDF)(Report). gov.uk. 6 April 2020. p. 1.Retrieved6 October2020.
Currently there is work going on across government but it is not sufficiently coordinated. The taskforce will bring together government, industry, academics, funding agencies, regulators, logistics and finance to make rapid decisions to put the UK in a position to accelerate vaccine development and vaccinate the right proportion of the population as soon as possible after a vaccine is available.
- ^ab"Vaccine Taskforce to merge with UKHSA and OLS".GOV.UK.15 June 2022.Retrieved17 June2022.
- ^"The Vaccine Taskforce: objectives and membership of steering group".GOV.UK.22 February 2023.
- ^Boseley, Sarah (1 July 2020)."Oxford offers best hope for Covid-19 vaccine this year, MPs told".Guardian News & Media Limited.
- ^Boland, Hannah (12 September 2020)."Oxford's Sir John Bell: 'We're not going to beat the second wave'".Telegraph Media Group Limited.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.
- ^"Coronavirus vaccine will be only 50pc effective, warns head of UK taskforce".The Telegraph.London. 14 October 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved14 October2020.
- ^Sandhu, Rajdeep (17 October 2020)."Covid-19: Most vulnerable 'could get vaccine by Christmas'".BBC Scotland.Retrieved18 October2020.
- ^Hayes, Andy (18 October 2020)."Coronavirus: 'More than one vaccine' will be available early in 2021, SAGE scientist says".Sky News.Retrieved18 October2020.
- ^"Expert partnership to explore and establish Human Challenge studies of COVID-19 in the UK"(Press release). London. gov.uk. 20 October 2020.Retrieved24 October2020.
- ^"Nadhim Zahawi MP".GOV.UK.Retrieved2 March2021.
- ^"Update on the Vaccine Taskforce: 1 March 2021".GOV.UK.1 March 2021.Retrieved2 March2021.
- ^"Sir Richard Sykes appointed chair of Vaccine Taskforce".GOV.UK.14 June 2021.Retrieved15 June2021.
- ^"UK Vaccine Taskforce steering group - a Freedom of Information request to Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy".WhatDoTheyKnow.15 June 2021.Retrieved3 July2021.
- ^Pogrund, Gabriel (7 November 2020)."Vaccine tsar Kate Bingham runs up £670,000 PR bill".The Times.ISSN0140-0460.Retrieved2 May2021.
- ^"VTF objectives and membership of the steering group".GOV.UK.Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. 24 November 2020.Retrieved15 June2021.
- ^Cookson, Clive (20 October 2020)."Volunteers to be infected with coronavirus in world's first 'human challenge' trials".The Financial Times.London.Retrieved24 October2020.
- ^"Expert partnership to explore and establish Human Challenge studies of COVID-19 in the UK"(Press release). London. gov.uk. 20 October 2020.Retrieved24 October2020.
Innovation Minister Lord Bethell said: "This investment into new facilities at PHE Porton Down will enable its dedicated and expert scientists to accelerate the pace and scale of specialised testing to support the critical work of the Vaccine Taskforce."
- ^"UK Vaccines Taskforce has Selected Oxford Immunotec as the Sole Supplier of T cell Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Specific Responses in New COVID Vaccine Trials"(Press release). Oxford. Globe Newswire. 22 October 2020.Retrieved22 October2020.
- ^Bingham, Kate (27 October 2020)."The UK Government's Vaccine Taskforce: strategy for protecting the UK and the world".The Lancet.397(10268): 68–70.doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32175-9.PMC7833709.PMID33125932.S2CID225080217.
- ^"Coronavirus vaccine taskforce chair says first COVID vaccines 'likely to be imperfect' and 'might not prevent infection'".Sky News.28 October 2020.Retrieved28 October2020.
- ^"Government launches COVID-19 Antivirals Taskforce to roll out innovative home treatments this autumn".GOV.UK.Department of Health and Social Care. 20 April 2021.Retrieved8 September2022.
- ^"The COVID-19 Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce".GOV.UK.Department of Health and Social Care. 6 September 2022.Retrieved8 September2022.
