The first generation of COVID-19 vaccines “is likely to be imperfect” and “might not work for everyone”, the chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce has said.
Writing inĀ 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.”
It was set up under the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in May 2020, and Bingham reports directly to the prime minister.
(CNA)
