The Corona virus pandemic remains a global health emergency. Development of an effective vaccine and getting a drug cure is a priority for health research at this time. So far treatment has involved management of symptoms.
Development of an effective vaccine seems like the best shot if our world is to get back to anything close to normal. A lot of people have wondered about how soon we can get a vaccine and how safe it will be.
It’s World Immunization Week and though a lot of misinformation about a possible vaccine exist we still want to reiterate that vaccines save lives.
Conspiracy Theories About Vaccine Development
It’s important to note that several governments and pharmaceutical companies around the world are putting efforts towards the development of a vaccine as against a widely circulated false news that the efforts are solely spearheaded by a particular American billionaire.
A vaccine is so valuable and that explains why several tests are already in place all around the world to come up with one as soon as possible for the corona virus
How do vaccines work?
Vaccines are made of a dead or weakened form of a disease causing organism. When injected into the body they stimulate the human immune system to produce disease fighting cells.
These cells are called antibodies. These antibodies remain in the body and if such individual gets exposed to the infection the antibodies fight the infection and keeps the person from falling sick
The process of developing a vaccine just like a drug is quite rigorous and involves many stages which can take a lot of time, yet all those stages are required before approval can be given.
A Vaccine must be effective and safe
Effective – be able to help the body produce antibodies well enough to fight a possible infection.
Safe – It must not produce an infection or have any negative effects on the human body when administered.
The regulatory bodies for example the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States are the only ones who can approval for vaccines and they always ensure that it is safe and effective.
This explains why the most optimistic projections place the development of a vaccine at 12 to 18 months from now. So it’s even more important that we all keep to current precautions and stay safe
Olusanya Oluwatomi