Kate Bingham put her role as a life-sciences venture capitalist on hold last July when she was approached by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to head up the UK's Vaccine Taskforce (VTF). A year into the pandemic — despite limited buying power — the UK has secured deals for 407 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from several companies, according to the government. As of February 1, 13.7% of the country's population has had at least a first dose of the two-part Pfizer vaccine, according to The Times of London — outstripping progress in the US and European Union. In the US, President Joe Biden's administration is hurrying to bring order to his predecessor's patchwork, state-by-state vaccine distribution effort that saw the country finish 2020 far short of its vaccination goal.