I found fascinating the details about vaccine production, and also how the authors' research enlaced with their personal lives. Unfortunately, especially in the second half the book began to feel rather dumbed down and repetitive—particularly the pleas for funding, and defense of science. Perhaps that is understandable in the context of vaccine hesitancy and vaccine politicization. But it seemed I wasn't in the target audience. I wanted more details, not pablum.

> And not just round the clock but against the clock too: samples had to be processed within four hours or the cells would start to die and the tests would be void. People were working in the lab until two or three in the morning, and up to ten days back-to-back. Two couples made donations for us to have healthy meals delivered to the site every day for months. It made us feel noticed and supported and more importantly it stopped us feeling hungry. The catering facilities were shut, and we were all running out of change for the vending machines, and hungry people make mistakes.

> He suggested that if we only did half of the toxicology study, in either males or females, we would only use half of the remaining vaccine. We would then have enough vaccine to do a phase I trial in whatever sex of humans the toxicology study had been done in. It was not something we would normally propose but it would untie the knot. We were, however, unable to come to an agreement so the clinical trial was never carried out ( )

Last year, I read pandemic non-fiction to arm myself with knowledge. This year, it’s all about vaccines. What better reading than the story of how the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine was made than through two of the integral people working on it? Professor Sarah Gilbert and Dr Catherine Green tell how it all happened in alternating chapters from the first whispers of a new infectious disease to preparing for ‘disease Y’, the next pandemic. It’s easy to read and incredibly interesting. Plus, it acts as a mythbuster, telling the truth around common concerns with the vaccine.

Sarah, Cath and the whole Oxford team have been working on vaccine research for decades. They had used the adenovirus ‘base’ of the vaccine for other diseases, such as Ebola, in human clinical trials but scientific research is a stop-start process. That’s why vaccines usually take so long, because you need to apply for funding, wait, get money and then do a study. Publish the results, then start the whole funding process again. It’s all about money, with no compromises on safety. So when the novel coronavirus 2019 came around, they were prepared. Once the genome of the virus was sequenced, they could start work at an advanced stage because they had their vaccine base, and knew which part of the virus to use. They also had studies in animals and humans, but that didn’t make it easy. These people worked incredibly hard for months, while in lockdown and facing increasing media scrutiny and hype.

The story of how the vaccine is made, from the small flasks used at Oxford to the giant ones procured by AstraZeneca, is fascinating. It’s likened to baking bread, and it has very routine steps whether you’re baking one loaf or 100. It is a little science-y, but if you read a little more slowly, it’s clear how precise the process as. The book also explains the details of the regulatory process, which involves a lot of testing for quality and consistency, plus a heck of a lot of data. Nothing goes ahead without a lot of evidence and double- and triple-checking. The pair also dispel a lot of vaccine myths, such as the way they could accelerate parts of the process (nothing sneaky there, just grants of money to continue). They also review the reported adverse effects and explain how the trial data involved different doses (it’s got to do with calculating virus numbers) and different spacings between doses. I really wish I’d read this before I puzzled over the protocol that was published, as it was clear and made much more sense!

No matter your opinion on vaccines, Vaxxers is testament that science can and does save lives, especially when adequate funding and brilliant minds are combined.

Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )