UK announces coronavirus 'Vaccine Taskforce' 'to beat invisible killer'

Amid the unprecedented coronavirus outbreak, the United Kingdom government, on April 17, announced a 'Vaccine Taskforce'. While speaking at the daily COVID-19 briefing, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma said that the taskforce will ‘drive forward, expedite and co-ordinate’ efforts to research and then produce a coronavirus vaccine.
He said that it will bring together people from academia, the government and the industry. 

READ: UK Fundraiser Helps Indian-origin COVID-19 Victim With Funeral Costs

According to the official UK government website, the taskforce will be led by Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam. The authorities will be supporting efforts to rapidly develop a coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible by providing industry and research institutions with the resources and support needed. They will be reviewing regulations and scaling up manufacturing so that when the vaccine becomes available, it can be produced quickly and in mass quantities. 

Sharma said, “UK scientists are working as fast as they can to find a vaccine that fights coronavirus, saving and protecting people’s lives. We stand firmly behind them in their efforts. The Vaccine Taskforce is key to coordinating efforts to rapidly accelerate the development and manufacture of a potential new vaccine, so we can make sure it is widely available to patients as soon as possible”. 

READ: UK Warned About New Wave Of Virus Infections

Vaccine Taskforce 

As per the website, the taskforce will be focusing of five strands of activity including, supporting the discovery of potential coronavirus vaccines by working with the public and private sector, preparing the UK as a leader in clinical vaccine testing and manufacturing working with companies. The taskforce will further review government regulations to facilitate rapid and safe vaccines trials, developing funding and operational plans for the procurement and delivery of vaccines. Last and foremost, it will be building on the UK’s research and development expertise to support international efforts to find a coronavirus vaccine. 

READ: UK Health Secretary Questioned Over Virus Response

The UK government has also announced that 21 new coronavirus research projects will benefit from funding worth around £14 million. The authorities have also invited GP surgeries to take part in the ‘ground-breaking trial’, to ascertain whether it could reduce the need for affected patients to go to the hospital and speed up their recovery. Furthermore, the government also announced one new project led by the University of Oxford, in which they will trial anti-malarial drug to determine whether it could diminish the effects of COVID-19 on people in high-risk groups. 

(Image source: rickstudly/Twitter) 

READ: Expert Says UK Likely Has Europe's Highest Virus Death Rate