When will the Coronavirus Jab be ready in the UK?

Since then Coronavirus Appeared in January Approximately 200 vaccine candidates have been developed and at least 15 are used in human trials.

Vaccines being developed at Oxford University and Germany Candidates most likely to be ready this year, Experts say, there are candidates who are also being tested in the United States, Russia and China. There are also some signs that China is moving forward in the race. The Pfizer-backed German vaccine may be ready to be distributed before Christmas, the company’s CEO said.

But major new research has discovered it Immunity to coronavirus may last for only a few months, This can hinder the successful deployment of vaccines.

According to a study by Imperial College London, which attended 365,000 people, antibodies in the population fell by more than a quarter in just three months.

Scientists said the findings suggest a “rapid” decline in immunity. This means that even if a successful vaccine is found, it may have to be given twice a year.

After the head of the UK Vaccine Task Force warned that jabs are likely to be only 50% effective. Kate Bingham said vaccines that are immune to the coronavirus are likely to be as effective as influenza vaccines.

“The vaccine’s effectiveness against the flu is about 50%, and it’s an annual injection based on a strain that occurs every summer and is vaccinated in the winter,” Bingham said. Needless to say, it’s not always better than the flu vaccine so far. “

Here’s everything you need to know about vaccines in development, the latest news, and when the jab is ready.

What’s the latest news about vaccine hunting?

The latest data from the Oxford trial is that vaccines Produce a “strong” immune response among the elderly.. According to reports, a Phase II analysis of the study process showed similar reactions in all age groups, with findings that were welcomed as “milestones” in the fight against pandemics.

In the UK, in addition to several Phase 3 trials being conducted on vaccine candidates around the world, we are launching a “human challenge trial” in which volunteers are exposed to the virus as part of vaccine testing.

The Imperial Human Challenge Trial is being conducted by hVivo, a spin-off company at Queen Mary University of London.Already about 2,000 people have signed up to participate in challenge studies in the UK through the group One day early.

The person testing the vaccine will be given a jab and will wait a month for the antibody to build. Volunteers are then exposed to the virus.

Vaccines are currently being tested at the population level, so scientists are looking to see if fewer people are infected than expected in the vaccine group in the study compared to the control group.

But all over the world Blockade The number of viruses in the community has been very low in recent months, which means scientists are having a hard time getting enough data to know if the vaccine is working.

Oxford University has been forced to move some of its vaccine tests to South America and South Africa, but expects results to come back soon.

How does the vaccine work, how long does it take, and why?

Vaccines stimulate your body’s immune system to produce antibodies and fight disease. It does this by introducing disease-causing bacteria into your body. The immune system then fights off these bacteria and develops antibodies to boost immunity. Therefore, vaccines can be a powerful weapon in preventing illness.

However, vaccine development is complex. Researchers are confident that the vaccine will be ready by the summer of 2021, which is the fastest way humans have gone from seeing a brand new pathogen to developing a vaccine against it. is.

The vaccine journey from initial development to approval is as follows:

• Before clinical trial: At this stage, scientists test the vaccine in cells and then give the virus to the animals.If the vaccine provokes an immune response, that is, antibodies are produced, you can move on to the next step.
• Phase 1 test: In these trials, also known as safety trials, the vaccine is tested in a small number of people.It is at this stage that scientists calculate the dose and whether jabs provoke an immune response in humans.
• Phase 2: Vaccines are currently being tested by more people, with hundreds of participants divided into groups. You may be able to combine Phase 1 and Phase 2 to speed up the process.
• Phase 3: In the third phase of the test, the vaccine will reach thousands of people. The vaccine is run with a placebo. This phase is very important because it simulates high vaccine adoption. The large sample size of the participants means that the trial can find rare potential side effects of the vaccine that may not be present in the small group. Oxford and Imperial vaccines are currently at this stage.
• Approval: If the vaccine passes these stages, it may be approved by national and international regulators. You can then distribute it. Scientists will continue to monitor the people who receive the vaccine in case the vaccine is unsafe. However, researchers say that, like Chinese and Russian vaccines, approval may be urgent without thorough scrutiny, or urgent approval of coronavirus vaccines may be dangerous. Expressing concern. Approval is also affected by political pressure, such as President Trump’s desire to distribute the vaccine to Americans before facing the November 3 poll-this seems more and more unlikely.

Safety standards must be met at each of these stages, which is why vaccine development is a very long and complex process.