COVID-19: JUST HOW CLOSE ARE
WE TO A VACCINE? “How close are we to a vaccine?”
This is the question on the lips of almost every individual of the seven billion people on planet earth. The question of how close we’re to a vaccine is of great importance to everyone worldwide. From business people, teachers, pupils, restaurant owners, construction workers, to every individual who feels ripped off their freedom of association and movement. The work of developing a COVID-19 vaccine began in January in various research centers and institutions. As early as March, rumors of the unveiling of a possibly effective COVID-19 vaccine had already started emerging, with UK Boris Johnson stating they “would turn the tide in 12 weeks and send the coronavirus packing.” Elsewhere, different organizations and drug manufacturers were boasting of having a vaccine by September. However, as of now, no COVID-19 vaccine is actually ready. Not that those who were boasting of having a vaccine by September were wrong, but the process of making a vaccine is not a walk in the park. The process is quite complex and has a lot of formalities. Vaccines require years of thorough research and testing before being approved for distribution to health centers. However, in this case, scientists are racing to come up with a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine by 2021.
WHERE ARE WE WITH THE VACCINES?
According to The New York Times Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker, researchers are were testing 54 vaccines in clinical trials on humans, while at least 87 preclinical vaccines were under active investigation in animals, as of November 18, 2020. The vaccine tracker further reveals the progress in developing the vaccine among various companies. On November 13, 2020, a vaccine from OncoSec Immunotherapies enters Phase 1, which involves safety trials. At this phase, researchers try the vaccine on a small number of people to test its 52
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safety and dosage and confirm if it stimulates the immune system. On November 16, 2020, a vaccine from Inovio proceeds from Phase 1 to Phase 2. Phase 2 involves expanded trials, where scientists give the vaccine to hundreds of people divided into groups, such as children and older people, to determine if the vaccine reacts differently in them. On November 16, Moderna reports promising early results. The company announced that its vaccine has shown to be 94.5% effective. From their trials, of 95 participants who had COVID-19, 90 had the placebo, and only five had the vaccine. Earlier on, Moderna found out that the vaccine protects monkeys from COVID-19. Moreover, Moderna found another promising result from the vaccine that it appears to protect people from severe disease. Out of 11 who developed severe disease, none were vaccinated. Moderna plans to submit an application for an Emergency Use Authorization in the coming weeks. More recently, on November 18, 2020, Pfizer announces that its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective. Pfizer, who are working with BioNTech, have two versions of mRNA vaccine. On undergoing trials, they found out that both versions caused volunteers to produce antibodies against SARSCoV-2 and immune cells known as T cells that respond to the virus. All the companies that have reported a possible breakthrough in their vaccines have already started inking hefty deals from countries across the world. So far, there are strong signs of a possible breakthrough of more than one coronavirus vaccines by the end of the year. Meanwhile, let’s keep the hopes high without forgetting to observe the correct safety measures to keep ourselves safe. Work cited. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/ coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html.
THE POWER IS NOW MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2020
