Can we get a COVID-19 vaccine before 2020?
As medical research groups grapple with the deadline of producing the world's first vaccine to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Dr Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases let out a statement saying that expecting a vaccine soon remains far-fetched, adding that he is "cautiously positive" about having a vaccine ready by early months of June 2020.
Vaccine trials are underway
One of the prime candidates involved in the global vaccine race is US-based Moderna Inc., which is overseeing phase III study and trials of its prototype, mRNA-1273. US authorities have also launched 'Operation WarpSpeed' to facilitate and accelerate the production of a vaccine and speed up the regulatory process.
Fauci's comments came in the backdrop of United Nations Academic Impact '75 for UN75: 75 Minutes of Conversation' event, where he talked about the rampant rise in the rate of infections globally, particularly in the United States, which is now the worst affected countries globally.
Fauci praises Moderna's studies
The US-based doctor, praising Moderna's studies said that while the development has made him cautiously positive about seeing a vaccine ready by next year, he is still not sure about the workability:
"We've adapted a strategic approach to getting multiple candidates and there is more than one candidate vaccine to be conducted in trials in a harmonised way so that we use standard endpoints, standard and single data and safety monitoring board as well as identical immunological parameters that are measured so that you could bridge one study to another."
"Phase one looks good, very promising data on the induction of neutralising antibody and will go into the trial at the end of July. There are 5-7 candidates that are going into clinical trials at different stages. There is no guarantee that ongoing efforts will produce a safe and effective vaccine to prevent infection by the virus"
Fauci also said that curbing the pandemic is a lesson for countries dealing with public health:
"The lessons we've learned from the coronavirus is they have pandemic potential, they're likely to continue to emerge. Good public health measures are critical to controlling them.
Is it really possible to produce a vaccine early to tackle the pandemic's peak?
Globally, several countries, including the UK, India and China are working on producing a vaccine to tackle COVID-19. While the process of vaccine development is usually an elaborate and a long one, governments have introduced measures to cut down on time gaps, red tapes and issue licensing fast. Clinical trials are being expedited at several places for the same. However, that still doesn't mean we have proof of a vaccine being ready for use. From the side-effects, deployment, costing and production, there are many key factors which have to be taken into consideration when a vaccine candidate is being developed. Experts worry that in the lack of a good timeline, safety and efficacy of a vaccine is being compromised upon