Over the past few months, most people have taken precautionary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. It is a respiratory virus that has plagued millions of people worldwide, and while preventative measures have slowed it down, the only way to completely eradicate is through a vaccine. Sources say that about 80 different institutions have entered the race to produce a vaccine. In some cases, some companies have even moved on to the testing phase of its production. So when will the vaccine be ready? Let’s find out right here.
Coronavirus Vaccine.
Mordena, a biotech company located in Boston, was the first company to produce a possible vaccine. They started human trials last month, though the results were unsatisfactory. The speed at which they were able to work was however encouraging. Credit should go to the Chinese’s earlier success in sequencing the genetic material of Sars-CoV-2. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, this is the virus that causes COVID-19.
Just yesterday, a vaccine developed in Oxford was set to begin human trials. The study will involve about five hundred different volunteers from across the UK. According to Matt Hancock, the British Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the scientists have made significant progress.
GSK and Sanofi, perhaps the two largest pharmaceutical juggernauts, have teamed up to find a possible vaccine as well. In addition to this, scientists in Australia are using ferrets to test two very promising vaccines. Whether or not they are successful remains to be seen.
When will the coronavirus vaccine be ready?
It is common knowledge that a vaccine can take years to develop. However, with the threat COVID-19 possess, scientists set out to accomplish the same feat in months. Presently, experts estimate that we will not have a fully-fledged vaccine until the mid-2021. In other words, we are looking at a possible 12-month wait. We will keep you up to date with the latest developments.
Originally posted on May 10, 2020 @ 6:43 pm