Experts say long-term immune response uncertainty affects the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine

New Delhi: The rapid spread and resurgence of COVID-19 (second wave) in communities worldwide suggests a possible role for asymptomatic humans in its infection, but uncertainties in the long-term immune response Has a potential impact on the efficacy of the vaccine mentioned above.

They said the role of reducing the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions in facilitating the second wave of COVID-19 needs to be further investigated, as community involvement weakens.

The continued use of masks and the use of other public health measures, according to an editorial from the ICMR, when strong supporting evidence became available on the possible role of asymptomatic persons in the transmission of coronavirus infections. May be advocated Indian Medical Research Journal..

The editorial entitled “The Mysterious COVID-19 Pandemic” was written by Rajesh Bhatia, former director of infectious diseases at WHO’s Southeast Asian regional office, and Priya Abraham, director of the ICMR National Institute for Viruses. ..

In the early stages of the pandemic, COVID-19 was putatively presumed to be a non-recurrent disease. “A new study suggests that virologically confirmed infections may be repeated. There is awaiting confirmation of reactivation or reinfection and their epidemiological significance,” he said.

Cellular surveillance is generally a sensitive tool for determining the extent of infection and immunity in the general population. Only a few field-based studies have generated serological monitoring data, but no conclusive reasoning.

The editorial refers to a recent seroprevalence study, where the majority of the Geneva population in Switzerland was infected during this pandemic wave despite the high prevalence of COVID-19 in the region. Showed that not.

“Such studies signal a warning about the continued susceptibility of the population to COVID-19 and the inability of the virus to generate widespread immunity. It may contribute to the second wave of cases. not.

The role of reducing the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions to promote the second wave as community involvement weakens needs to be further investigated, experts said.

Uncertainties in the long-term immune response have a potential impact on vaccine efficacy. They said the actual effects of the vaccine on this pandemic would be apparent only after being widely used for months in different populations.

Vaccines are now considered the ultimate intervention to contain the pandemic. Global competition to provide it to the world is accelerating.

Currently, there are approximately 165 different candidate vaccines for COVID-19 being developed around the world, some of which are in different stages of clinical trials.

According to the editorial, three vaccine candidates, the inactivated DNA-based recombinant vaccine and the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine consisting of the replication-defective simian adenovirus vector ChAdOx, are currently in the early stages of human clinical trials. There is.

“Commercial production and possible imports of the COVID-19 vaccine are expected to begin by the end of 2020,” it said.

Global procurement and distribution of vaccines to ensure universal access is planned by WHO, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), and the Alliance to Innovate for Preparedness for the Epidemic.

India has developed a blueprint for efficient vaccine implementation, backed by an IT-based vaccine tracking system.

“Immunizing the entire population, prioritizing high-risk segments, ensuring logistics quality, and post-vaccination surveillance for adverse and disease burden impacts will be a major challenge for any health system. Was emphasized.

In the absence of certain antiviral drugs and vaccines, non-pharmaceutical intervention by the community was considered crucial in controlling viral infections. “It’s always difficult to ensure engagement of the poor and illiterate communities in particular,” he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic attracted the overall focus and commitment of the health system. It said the medical facility was overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, limiting normal medical services to the community.

People are also worried about visiting medical institutions for fear of contracting with COVID-19. Important elements of health services most suffering include the health needs of children, women, the elderly with non-communicable diseases, management of other treatments (eg cancer, tuberculosis, HIV), emergencies, etc. ..

The pandemic underpins the progress made under the Millennium Development Goals and impedes the achievement of the ambitious UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“It’s not yet clear how the global community will make up for the recession caused by the pandemic to the critical work of major disease eradication programs such as tuberculosis,” the editorial department said.

Efficient public health activities can be carried out based on appropriate scientific knowledge of the properties of SARS-CoV-2.

“Despite extensive research on all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world remains the origin of the virus, the public health impact of mutations in the viral genome, the availability of diagnostic tests with better sensitivity and specificity, and immunity. I’m having a hard time understanding the response to the virus, its pathobiology and clinical spectrum, and the availability of safe and effective specific antivirals and vaccines.

“These unknowns have made it a mysterious pandemic ever,” the editorial said.