This comes as the nation is just days away from having sequenced our one millionth COVID-19 whole genome – meaning the UK has sequenced the second highest number in the world. The agency builds on the legacy of Public Health England, NHS Test and Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre to help keep the nation safe.
UKHSA will operate as an integral part of the public health system and the national security infrastructure, utilising state-of-the-art technologies and ground-breaking capabilities in data analytics and genomic surveillance to tackle coronavirus (COVID-19) and future threats locally, nationally and globally.
The immediate priority of UKHSA is to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. UKHSA will play a critical role in the route to developing vaccines effective against new and emerging variants. In the longer term, UKHSA will build on the infrastructure developed for COVID-19 to tackle and prevent other infectious diseases and external health threats. This work will include a strong focus on life sciences, strengthening relationships with academia, research organisations and industry which have developed and grown through the pandemic.
The pandemic has exposed the stark inequalities in our society and tackling these is a key part of UKHSA’s mission. Throughout its work, UKHSA will seek to understand and influence the wide range of factors that determine health outcomes to help reduce the impacts on the most disadvantaged in our society.