A minor slip from a lab in Wuhan province of China led to a virus breakout. The infection spread in the nation like wildfire. And that’s how the virus outbreak in December 2019 in China became a pandemic that gripped the whole world in fear by February 2020.
The next few months went by, with the whole world going on a quarantine and lockdown mode. Globally over 33.4 million people have been infected with the virus, and over one million lost their lives. If you are wondering why we are telling you all this? Well, that was just a quick look back at the past few months, which were dark for the whole world. However, there now seems to be light at the end of the tunnel, as numerous nations test their vaccines.
Why Is The Vaccine Important?
The virus infects a major part of the world’s population and thousands of people succumbing to the infection every day. And with the rest of them vulnerable to the infection, it is crucial to find a cure or prevention. As research has not found a cure or an antibody that can protect the body against the infection, COVID-19 is still a massive threat. Besides that, numerous people who have recovered from the virus are experiencing a relapse, which shows that their body’s plasma isn’t effective enough to fight the virus repeatedly. This only increases the risk factor for those with weaker immune systems.
Besides that, most nations are on the verge of lifting the lockdowns to resume economic activity. And this is because of the economy plunging to an all-new low. It only puts people at a higher risk and makes it important for them to be vaccinated to avoid a second or a third wave of the pandemic. However, if a vaccine is in place, it would train people’s immune system to battle the virus and prevent them from falling sick. That way, the world will be better positioned to get back to normal life without following a lockdown or other social distancing norms.
Who Is Testing The Vaccine?
It is usually just one or two nations that battle it out in their efforts to come up with a vaccine for a virus. However, this pandemic has forced every nation to go out of their way to find a cure. There are so far over 40 nations close to conducting clinical trials for the vaccine they have invented in that attempt. This includes the vaccine tests that are in progress at the University of Oxford. At the University of Oxford, the scientists are currently in the advanced stage of testing the vaccine.
The test results from the University of Oxford show the development of an immune response. And AstraZeneca has signed a contract for supplying 100 million doses of this vaccine to the United Kingdom alone. However, this is just one of the 240 vaccines that are in development. Yes, over 200 vaccines are in the development stage. Of this, 40 are in the clinical trial stage. And there are around nine vaccines that are already in the final leg of testing on people. The Univerity of Oxford’s vaccine is one such vaccine that is showing promising results.
Similarly, a test conducted in May in the US showed that all the eight people administered the vaccine developed antibodies that could neutralize the virus. Besides that, there are also trials in progress. It focuses on using proteins to develop an immune response from the body. On the other hand, China has come out with a vaccine for its military, which is said to increase the antibodies of a person effectively. All this while numerous other human trials are also underway to find a cure or a preventive measure for COVID-19.
The Future
Most experts believe that the vaccine or cure for the pandemic and coronavirus will come around 2021. While that seems like a long time, it makes sense if you consider all the havoc the virus has caused so far. So, even the fact that it will take a year to wipe out COVID-19 from the face of the earth is still a herculean task and a massive achievement.
And researchers believe that all the healthcare workers and frontline warriors of COVID-19 will receive vaccinations by the end of this year. When the vaccine finally arrives, it is necessary for at least 60 to 70 percent of the population to get vaccinated instantaneously. This will build herd immunity. However, with the world population standing at 7.8 billion, this is indeed a massive task.
However, we believe it would all be done by the mid of 2021. Until then, please follow the precautions suggested by your local government.