A coronavirus vaccine is likely to have been given to every person over 50 who needs one by Easter, the head of the UK Vaccine taskforce has claimed. The private comments by Kate Bingham emerged after Boris Johnson urged the public to stay “optimistic” about scientific breakthroughs as the country returns to lockdown. Speaking to a US-hosted investors’ forum, she said a dress rehearsal for rolling out a vaccine was scheduled to have completed on Saturday. “It’s been quick and it’s been efficient,” said Ms Bingham. “This has definitely exceeded my expectations of what was possible.” However, she also reportedly showed official documents suggesting that up to 40 per cent of adults will not take the vaccine, and that 15 per cent of doses are likely to be wasted due to errors in storage, shipping and handling. The Government has placed provisional orders with several vaccine candidates to ensure quick access, if and when one or more is signed off as safe and effective. To get to this stage, scientists and regulators have to examine data from completed phase three trials, done by assessing how the extent to which people given the drug and sent back to live in the community fall ill with coronavirus compared to those given a placebo.
