Cause for hope in virus battle

Developments show promise

THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic has been challenging and awful time across the world but has frequently brought out the best of humanity, from health workers risking their lives to care for the infected to local communities rallying around the elderly and vulnerable.

Now those in the research fields of science and medicine have brought us several reasons for cautious optimism that this virus can be overcome. A potentially game-changing antibody test to find out whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past has been approved by health officials after being developed by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche and is likely to be rolled out to frontline workers first.

It comes as it was revealed a human trial of a coronavirus vaccine being carried out by Oxford University could be available by the middle of June, while nearly 100 GP practices across Yorkshire are participating in a drugs trial testing whether treatment in the community can help people at higher risk of complications from coronavirus get better quicker.

These are all positive developments, but come with important caveats as the disease spreads around the globe to the extent that the World Health Organisation is now warning nearly a quarter of a billion people in Africa could catch coronavirus.

Oxfam has called for Governments and pharmaceutical companies to guarantee that vaccines, tests and treatments for the virus are made be patentfree and equally distributed around the world.

Quite rightly, the charity says any vaccine should not be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The reality of this disease is that it will not be fixed - allowing trade, travel and ordinary life to return to normal - until there is a globally available solution. It will undoubtedly take time but there are hopeful signs that science may soon be able to strike back effectively at Covid-19.