Possibility of a Vaccine for COVID-19

COVID-19, the official name for the novel coronavirus, is currently circling the globe and is a major public health concern worldwide. As of March 14th, 142,539 people have been infected and 5,393 people have died (WHO 2020). The global case fatality rate is 3.8%, with the coronavirus being especially fatal in older populations and people with pre-existing health conditions. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that young children do not have a high risk of severe complications from the virus, although the reasons behind this are not entirely known. The World Health Organization, as well as governments across the world, are conducting surveillance and implementing measures. While the cases in China have decreased, the global cases have increased, especially in Europe and the Middle East. A particular challenge for this virus is its incubation period. An infected person could be asymptomatic, but still contagious, for up to two weeks (Kormann, 2020). If a person is sick without realizing it, they may not take the necessary precautions, and unwillingly spread the virus.

Many labs across the world are currently working on treatments and preventative measures. The U.S. funded an $8.3 billion emergency-aid package (Kormann, 2020). In early February, the UK announced a donation of £20 million and the co-founder of Alibaba Group, Jack Ma, is donating $14 million (Le Page, 2020). The goal is to develop a vaccine against the new coronavirus strain, to help stop the disease from spreading even more. Unfortunately, the development of a vaccination takes time. According to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, a vaccine would take a year to a year and a half to produce, at the earliest (Kormann, 2020). Potential targets for a vaccine need to be identified, and then antibodies need to be developed. There is animal testing, and then multiple clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

The National Institutes of Health are focused on a particular protein of the virus, named the “spike protein.” This protein is used by the virus to infect human cells, which make it a potential target for therapies (Neergaard, 2020). Sanofi, a multinational pharmaceutical company, is working with the United States Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority on a vaccine. The company is using a previous candidate for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which is closely related to COVID-19 (Kormann, 2020). There is also work in speeding up the research process. Instead of attempting to isolate and express a protein, Moderna, a biotech company, and the Vaccine Research Center at the NIH are looking at using messenger RNA to deliver the blueprints of the viral protein to the human cells. This will create an immune response, and build antibodies to the virus, without any infection. Since the mRNA will only make the “spike protein,” the individual will not have the virus inside of them and will not get sick (Kormann, 2020). The technique can also be used for many different infectious diseases as well. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is attempting to provide temporary protection against the coronavirus by injecting people with specific coronavirus antibodies, which can also be used as a treatment. The company had already developed antibodies for Ebola and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), although the treatment involves multiple shots of antibodies every few months (Neergaard, 2020). While this may not be a permanent solution, it can still help to temporarily mitigate the damage from this outbreak.

Vaccine development also requires a lot of funding and research and development from pharmaceutical companies and research labs. Additional problems come when there is no money resulting from the pharmaceutical products: these companies need to keep making money in order to continue their research. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has contributed more than 19 million dollars to fund vaccine candidates around the world, however, it will likely take 2 billion dollars for the vaccines to continue beyond clinical trials (Kormann, 2020). The future of vaccine development includes already having pre-made vaccines for large families of pathogens. When a lab has to start a vaccine from scratch, the outbreak might already be tapering off by the time the vaccine is ready to go (Neergaard, 2020). Vaccines have proven to be effective against infectious diseases, and remain one of the best weapons in humanity’s arsenal. Even though highly developed countries no longer see many infectious diseases, a new pathogenic strain circulating the globe highlights just how important and useful vaccines are.

While many research labs work on a potential vaccine, there are additional concerns about the risk of spread. While not everyone is at risk, it is important to be cautious and practice good hygiene: washing hands and not touching one’s mouth, nose, or eyes. It is also important to take notice if you may have had exposure to the virus, whether by contact with a possible case or travel to a high risk area, such as Italy, Iran, China, or South Korea (CDC, 2020). Voluntary self-quarantine is being implemented, where someone stays home for two weeks to ensure that they are not infected. This voluntary quarantine also helps reduce the spread of the disease. Even though a vaccine may not be available right now, there are adequate treatments and supportive care, as well as preventative measures. It is important for people to stay calm and look to official health experts and credible news sources for updated information about the new coronavirus. Containment of the outbreak relies on both the hardworking scientists and the cooperation of the community.

Works Cited

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-2019). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

Kormann, Carolyn. (8 March 2020). How Long Will It Take to Develop a Coronavirus Vaccine? The New Yorker. Accessed from https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-long-will-it-take-to-develop-a-coronavirus-vaccine

Le Page, Michael. (8 February 2020). The race for treatments. New Scientist. 245 (3268): 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0262-4079(20)30237-2

Neergaard, Lauran. (8 March 2020). Behind the scenes, scientists prep for COVID-19 test. AP News. Accessed from https://apnews.com/6744922daee56af18aef0c10de394740

World Health Organization. (14 March 2020). Coronavirus disease 2019 Situation Report-54. World Health Organization. Accessed from https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200310-sitrep-50-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=55e904fb_2