The first Covid-19 vaccines are “likely to be imperfect” and “might not work for everyone”, the chairman of the UK Vaccine Taskforce has said. 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”. However, she warned against over-optimism and highlighted that a 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 in The Lancet. “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.” The vaccine taskforce was created by Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK Government’s chief scientific adviser. It was set up under the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in May, and Ms Bingham reports directly to the Prime Minister.
