Georgina Ferry interviews Sir Andrew Pollard, Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity and Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, 3 December 2021.
Topics discussed include (00:00:39) AP's early studies in medicine and route into the profession; (00:01:44) post-qualification work in A&E and training in paediatrics, PhD studies at St. Mary's, London and work in intensive care dealing with a new strain of meningitis in children, training in infectious disease in Canada and work in Oxford as part of the Oxford Vaccine Group; (00:05:30) work within the Oxford Vaccine Group including vaccine design and trials and current work on a vaccine for plague; (00:07:25) work on vaccine development for developing countries for infectious diseases, vaccine programmes on typhoid and pneumonia; (00:11:45) AP's first awareness of COVID-19 in early 2020, meeting of vaccine teams in Oxford to respond to the pandemic, work with Sarah Gilbert, Sandy Douglas and Teresa Lambe; (00:15:00) working together with different teams across the university; (00:16:30) clinical trials for the Oxford vaccine, recruitment of volunteers and the start of human trials in April 2020; (00:22:21) the commitment of vaccine trial volunteers; (00:23:05) Phase I trial and later phase trials; (00:24:30) effect of lockdown on the trial; (00:26:35) recruitment for Phase III trials nationally and internationally; (00:28:20) funding for trials in South Africa and Brazil; (00:28:58) partnership with AstraZeneca; (00:30:26) involvement with national bodies, including chairing the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation; (00:34:04) milestones in the trial process, including the first dose being administered, media attention, fake news, safety events; (00:40:48) the efficacy result of the vaccine trials; (00:45:32) AP's personal reaction to the results; (00:47:26) involvement in the vaccine roll out; (00:48:33) discussions relating to the nature of the vaccine as being not-for-profit, roll out to developing countries; (00:50:00) COVAX and distribution of the vaccine globally; (00:51:14) price of the vaccine; (00:52:29) experience of media scrutiny and first experience of a television interview; (00:54:30) social media and vaccine misinformation; (00:58:20) global vaccine equity; (01:00:00) vaccine boosters and new variants; (01:03:21) impact of the first lockdown on life and work, PPE provisions; (01:05:13) AP's personal response to the risk of COVID-19; (01:06:27) working hours and international collaboration; (01:07:30) personal well-being and resilience; (01:08:22) recreational activities; (01:09:01) team support and well-being; (01:10:14) knighthood for the Queen's Birthday Honours; (01:11:25) future research interests, including immune response and dosage and pandemic preparedness; (01:12:44) approach to work in the future. Note: the following section of audio is redacted (00:05:52) to (00:05:57).
