We are no stranger to the never-ending challenges of 2020, dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The battle against the SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) continues as countries deal with various lockdown stages. The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with their associates, is trying to take all necessary measures to help people navigate this difficult situation. They are monitoring the virus, providing healthcare and medical equipment to those afflicted, and putting the most strenuous efforts into creating the vaccine for this deadly virus.

Currently, experts worldwide are racing through the protracted, intricate process of developing the vaccine. There are several phases a vaccine has to go through:

Pre-clinical testing- testing on cells and animal subjects,

phase 1- testing on a small batch of people,

phase 2- testing on hundreds of people across various age groups,

phase 3- testing on thousands of people,

early or limited approval phase, and finally, the coveted full approval stage.

At the moment, over 169 COVID-19 vaccine prospects are being formulated, of which 26 are in the human trial stage. Once the development of apposite medication is successful, COVAX will supervise global distribution. COVAX is one of three pillars of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator launched by WHO, the European Commission, and France in response to this pandemic. It supports a general collaboration to fast-track the formation and fair allocation of the vaccine to protect people around the world.

“COVAX offers an innovative solution to the gravest public health crisis in living memory. It will speed up the availability of safe and effective vaccines through early investment in manufacturing capacity, and maximize the chances of success by backing a broad and diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates,” said Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI. “Through COVAX, our aspiration is to be able to vaccinate the most vulnerable 20% of the population of every country that participates, regardless of income level, by the end of 2021. Ensuring fair access is not only a matter of equity; it is the fastest way to end this pandemic.”

COVAX aims to administer two billion doses of WHO-certified vaccines by the end of 2021. It will prioritize high-risk, vulnerable people, and frontline healthcare workers.

High hopes ensued after the Lancet medical journal reported two achievements in early trials by the British Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. They have since proceeded into the third stage, recruiting some 30,000 volunteers from the US, UK, Brazil, and South Africa. However, one participant has been diagnosed with transverse myelitis- a condition that affects the spinal cord. The trial is now on hold in the US until an independent inspection can distinguish the illness’s cause and possible connections to the vaccine. Researchers are also yet to draw some data vis-á-vis the longevity of the response, effects on specific groups such as those with other underlying health complications, etc.

Chinese studies reached similar conclusions in phase 2. Their vaccine exhibited satisfactory immunogenicity, which is the potential of a substance to trigger a defensive reaction against harmful particles in the body. Russia sanctioned the Sputnik V vaccine for public use ahead of its Phase 3 trial, eliciting many specialists’ concerns. In the US, biotechnological company Moderna, backed by encouraging results from preliminary trials, have continued to the third phase, expecting outcomes by the end of 2020 or early 2021. Furthermore, Pfizer and the German company BioNTech have tested two versions of their vaccine in Phase 1. They have since gone into mixed phase 2/3 testing. They anticipate the details of the vaccine’s success by October. If the results are up to the mark, they plan to manufacture over 1.3 billion doses of their vaccine by the end of 2021.

Global planning is still underway to tackle these issues quickly. Researchers and scientists are striving to yield positive results to enable large-scale manufacturing of the vaccine. All we can do now, is hope that these immense efforts culminate in a successful vaccine. Dispensing the vaccine to billions of people across the globe will be no mean feat – but achieving this will finally allow the world to heave a sigh of relief and bid adieu to the lethal coronavirus.

Written By: Mohammad Zareef Akhand

Edited By: Aryana Mahmud