Vaccine at Kassam

Sun 7 Feb 2021, 20:10

The supply of vaccines always was going to be the limiting problem. Back in the middle of 2020, there was absolutely no bulk vaccine manufacturing capability in the UK at all. We were very fortunate with the setting up of the Vaccine Workforce chaired by Kate Bingham and the expert way that she and her team picked the most promising candidates and deals were done very quickly.  Brilliant work by the Jenner Institute of course, but also the setting up of two new factories for manufacturing in bulk (with one in Oxford with sun by Oxford Biomedica). There is another up in Keele I believe, the Novavax vaccine is to be produced in Stockton on Tees and there's a fourth plant being built in Scotland for the Valneva vaccine.

On top of that, there's the Wrexham factory for doing the final "Fill & Finish" - basically putting the vaccines into vials and doing the packaging. An industry was created from scratch in a few months in a very difficult area.

There's a great interview with Kate Bingham in la Reppublica (and on die Welt), and well worth spending some time reading.

https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2021/02/07/news/kate_bingham_interview_vaccines_covid_astrazeneca_uk_coronavirus_johnson-286384093/

Of course, it can never roll out fast enough, but I think the scale of what was achieved is still amazing. An industry from scratch in 6 months.

Sun 7 Feb 2021, 19:16

Glad all went well with your vaccine.. Just wanted to mention that our Medical Centre can only vaccinate with the number of vaccines sent to them by Government / NHS England. They would vaccinate everyone here extremely quickly but without vaccine impossible. They have clinic this Tuesday & follow up next Tuesday.  I find it sad that CMC are being held up.

Fri 5 Feb 2021, 19:58

Had mine there.  Easy online booking system for both first and second doses. Feels great to have done. Much better than not knowing when!