Covid-19 pandemic is fast spreading and today we are close to 10 million globally. India has crossed 5 lakhs as of Jun 28th. There is lot of talk about new vaccines, announcements about phase 1 trials etc stock prices of some pharma companies are going up with the expectation of a cure being found.
Comment from Dr. Hotez dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
- “These biotechs are putting out all these press announcements,” said Dr. Hotez. “You just need to recognize they’re writing this for their shareholders, not for the purposes of public health.”
As usual for lay men it is difficult to understand what is going on, medical jargon is confusing and we are all misled to believe some thing is coming soon to the nearby pharmacy so that we can get back to normal life.
Nothing is far from reality, the process of finding a vaccine can take up between 2 - 5 years. WHO says 18 months with the current global effort. Typically vaccine development takes decades. ( For HIV/AIDS phase 3 trails are going on after almost 40 years. Expected to get a vaccine by 2030 that is 50 years in all for a vaccine).
Steps involved in bringing out a vaccine - Research, Pre-clinical, Phase1, Phase2, Phase3, Building factories, Manufacturing, Approval, Distribution. Factories need to be repurposed or built new for Covid Vaccine since the manufacturing process will be different. Did we think about packing, distributing, global approvals, global supply chain and reaching to your nearest pharmacy.
In the case of COVID-19 it is expected that a vaccine could be found sooner since the virus doesn't mutate significantly and exists within a family of respiratory viruses ( SARS). SARS and the new SARS-CoV-2 ( COVID-19) share about 80-90 percent of their genetic code. So the previous work on SARS will give a good foundation to build on.
But it does not mean the virus is not mutating it will based on various conditions like population density which has direct impact on number of people infected, which gives more opportunities for the virus to mutate ( it spread from animail to human and now it is transmitting human to human). Many strains of the virus may emerge which require different vaccines ( you must have heard of new TB strains). So it is a highly complex challenge biologists, epidemiologists and other researcher's are handling.
About 100 vaccnies are under development for COVID-19. Some of the companies undertaking vaccine development are Moderna, Sinovac, Oxford university, Wuhan institute, CureVac( Uses mRNA method which can be mass produced but they say it is unstable) and many others. Some companies in India are also attempting.
The way that these companies are running to find a vaccine there is a chance that at least one may be successful. However It is said less than 10% percent drugs enter clinical trial stages.
Experts say the speed at which things are moving to find a vaccine has down sides too, what if the vaccine makes it easier to catch the virus easier or even worse make the disease worse after some one is infected.
"That’s been the case for a few H.I.V. drugs and vaccines for dengue fever, because of a process called vaccine-induced enhancement, in which the body reacts unexpectedly and makes the disease more dangerous. "- NY times
For now the safest way to protect one self from the virus is to maintain distance, wear a mask and wash hands frequently. Building immunity is definitely recommended. For Indians immunity building is core in its traditional Ayurveda. It has received enough popularity and many are taking Kashayam. Daily salt water gargling to clear throat and Water vapor also helps.
if you want to understand the nitty gritties of vaccines,anitgens etc visit - https://slate.com/technology/2020/06/covid-vaccine-candidates-knowns-unknowns.html
If you want to know the latest about vaccines under trial stage -https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/the-four-front-runners-of-the-race-for-covid-vaccine/articleshow/76652545.cms?from=mdr
Meanwhile in India we have to handle the confusion of Patanjali declaring Covid-19 cure, basically they seem to be immunity boosters and can address mild sore throat, cough etc. To their credit they declared that their medicine is not suitable for severe cases of pneumonia. This can be ignored for the moment.
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