We are on the cusp of discovering whether we have a vaccine that works against coronavirus.
Scientists had to start from scratch earlier this year, but now the results of major trials are expected in the coming weeks or months.
Just to get to this point has been a remarkable and unprecedented feat, and data will arrive soon which will define our lives for years.
Why do we need a vaccine?
If you want your life to get back to normal then we need a vaccine.
Even now, the vast majority of people are still vulnerable to a coronavirus infection. It is only the restrictions on our lives that are preventing more people from dying.
But vaccines safely teach our bodies to fight the infection. This can either stop us catching coronavirus in the first place or at least make Covid less deadly.
The vaccine, alongside better treatments, is “the” exit strategy.
What do we know so far?
Trials have shown that experimental vaccines can train the immune system. Small studies have shown they can teach the body to make both antibodies, which prevent Covid from invading the body’s cells, and T-cells, which kill infected cells.
However, the biggest question of all – “Is this enough to protect me?” – remains unanswered.
There are now 11 vaccines in the final stage of testing, However, this is also the crucial point where some experimental vaccines fail.
Some of the studies have recruited all of their volunteers and we are just waiting for the results.
The leading contenders are:
- The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK
- Pfizer and BioNTech in Germany
- Moderna in the US
- CanSino with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology in China
- Gamaleya Research Institute in Russia
- Janssen
- Beijing Institute of Biological Products and Sinopharm in China
- Sinovac and Instituto Butantan in Brazil
- Wuhan Institute of Biological Products and Sinopharm in China
- Novavax in the US
It is worth noting that four coronaviruses already circulate in human beings. They cause common cold symptoms and we don’t have vaccines for any of them.
So when will we have a coronavirus vaccine?
There is widespread expectation that the first clinical trials will release their results this year.
This, by historical standards, is phenomenal. It would normally take years, if not decades, to develop a vaccine.
Exactly who will be immunised first will depend on where Covid is spreading when the vaccine becomes available and in which groups it is most effective.
The UK has not decided, for example, how to prioritise health and care workers who work with the most vulnerable people, relative to those most at risk if they catch the disease.
In broad terms, the over-80s, care home residents and health or care workers will be near the top of the list.
Age is, by far, the biggest risk factor for Covid, so the older you are, the sooner you are likely to be vaccinated.
Plans could change dramatically if the experimental vaccines are unsuitable or ineffective in the elderly.
Most experts think the vaccine will not be widely available until the middle of 2021.
Article taken in part from www.bbc.co.uk and written by By James Gallagher Health and science correspondent.
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