Professor Raina MacIntyre has been named a member of the World Health Organization’s Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC). The appointment recognises Prof. MacIntyre’s expertise in vaccinology.
In an evolving pandemic, where variants of concern continue to emerge, the WHO undertakes extensive expert consultation to ensure pandemic management measures continue to safely and effectively meet WHO-recommended levels of protection against COVID-19 and its variants of concern.
With vaccines a primary tool in the management of COVID-19, adaptations to vaccine composition may be required to protect against variants of concern. The TAG-CO-VAC is an independent expert body tasked to regularly review the evidence and analyse the implications of emerging variants of concern on the performance of COVID-19 vaccines. If necessary, the group may recommend to WHO, from a global public health perspective and guided by the principles of equitable access, adaptation of vaccine composition in order to optimise global vaccination development, manufacture and delivery.