Dame Kate Bingham and Tim Hames

The Long Shot: The Inside Story of the Race to Vaccinate Britain

On 3 April 2020, Kate Bingham was told that the likelihood of any Covid-19 vaccine working was 15% at best. Then on 8 December 2020, the first NHS patient received a vaccine. Now nearly every adult in Britain has had a jab, lockdowns have ended, and we can finally live with Covid.

From a cottage miles away from Westminster, Kate (now Dame Bingham) juggled vaccine suppliers, Whitehall, the media circus – and her daughter’s exams. Political manoeuvring, miscommunications and administrative meddling nearly jeopardised the project. This is an unmissable insider view into how the Vaccine Taskforce beat the odds and delivered the scientific miracle we all waited for.  Tim Hames has been a columnist for The Times and The Tablet.