In this article, Lindsay Wong provides an update on the Coronavirus Vaccines and the trials, as well as the process in which a vaccine gets approved.
At the moment, there are around 150 vaccines for the coronavirus being tested at leading
research institutes and companies around the world. Development of a vaccine is absolutely essential in making sure the current health crisis does not escalate further and life can return back to pre-COVID normal. There are high hopes for a successful vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) has coordinated global efforts for its development and is looking to distribute 2 billion doses of it by the end of 2021. But the process of making sure the vaccine is risk-free could be lengthy.
Vaccines could take a few years to be ready for distribution in the global market. In some
cases, it takes up to 10 to 15 years. The fastest it has ever taken was for mumps – 4 years in
the 1960s. The lengthy process can be attributed to the three-stage clinical trial process it
must follow before it can be sent to agencies for approval. In phase one, the safety of the
vaccine is tested on a small group of healthy humans to see if it triggers any immune
response. In the next phase, this testing pool is broadened to include more groups of people
who may have the disease or are prone to catching it. This is to test the effectiveness of the
vaccine. In the last phase, the pool is expanded to thousands of people who vary by age,
ethnicity, and underlying health conditions. However, there is a high chance of obstacles at
every part of the process, including after phase three as there is debate over which
populations should get the vaccine first.
Health authorities have stated that it is unlikely a COVID-19 vaccine will be available until the middle of 2021. The aim of the vaccine currently being developed is to induce the
immune system to mount a defense against the virus. Ideally, it would come with fewer
health consequences. There are a few potential vaccines that look promising, including
vaccines by Novavax, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna Therapeutics, Pfizer, University of
Oxford, SINOVAC, SINOPHARM, Murdock Children’s Research Institute, CanSino Biologics,
and the Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology. Recently, the Johnson
& Johnson trials caused a brief panic because a participant contracted an unexplained
illness, prompting the company to pause its trials. Similarly, the Oxford trials were paused
because a participant showed adverse effects. This is not surprising due to the fact that
clinical trials would undoubtedly encounter obstacles in the forms of participants
developing side effects to the developing vaccines.
Although future prospects may seem grim to those itching to go back to a life of normalcy, the pandemic will not last forever. With the advancement of technology and so many vaccines in development, it is only a matter of time before one of them ends up being
successful. Until then, the world will have to continue adapting to this new lifestyle that
2020 has brought upon us.
Source:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-
diseases/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker-how-they-work-latest-developments-cvd/
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