Vaccines to fight COVID-19

The coronavirus has put the entire world in a dilemma. And the entire world is now racing in one direction, which is to develop a vaccine. But developing just one vaccine won’t be enough as it has to be produced in mass quantities and prove that a majority of the population is immune to the disease to ensure that it could be sent for mass production. As at present, over 100 vaccines produced by pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and other bodies are in preclinical development stage while more than seventy of them are being tracked by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Eight vaccine candidates across four countries including USA, China, UK and Germany are undergoing clinical trials.

UNITED STATES: Two candidates are being tested in the United States. The first human trial in the country began in Seattle in March with a vaccine developed by Moderna Inc.

CHINA: Trials for four other candidates are taking place in China. The biotech firm Cansino Biologics and the medical research arm of the People’s Liberation Army started trials in mid-march for a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

UNITED KINGDOM: The University of Oxford started human trials for a candidate in late April, with $25 million in funding from the UK government.

GERMANY: Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is working together with German firm Biontech and Chinese firm Fosun Pharma on a vaccine that began human trials in the European country in late April.

As at present, over 100 vaccines produced by pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and other bodies are in preclinical development stage