The very first coronavirus vaccine to combat the other variants may launch on the market in late 2022. According to Helen Petousis-Harris from the University of Auckland, the vaccine is now being tested on humans, and it’s only about time that everyone benefits from it. The pan-coronavirus vaccine is said to be effective against all the variants known to man, and with this, the hopes of ending the pandemic are very high.
In response to Morning Report’s question, Petousis-Harris said that the vaccine is already under development for years. The vaccines we currently have in action are effective but subpar, as they can only decrease the chances of infected people being hospitalized. These vaccines don’t work well when it comes to transmission-related problems and also when it comes to people that are showing symptoms.
Petousis-Harris added that these vaccines aren’t permanent, meaning they have to be tweaked in response to current variants and the strength of the virus. It then would make it harder for corporations since this costs a lot of resources and time in research and development. A pan-coronavirus vaccine would not just save people’s lives but also lower the costs of vaccine manufacturing and ease some worries.
The pan-coronavirus vaccine will work much like a flu shot, which will be given to people annually; that way, the costs, and organization of such vaccination drives will be significantly reduced.
So far, the vaccination landscape is looking good, with people opting for booster shots and those that go for another one, which will be much more practical to avoid hospitalization. Petousis-Harris added that they are doing their best to target those most vulnerable to the virus, and they have a lot of tools and approaches to help them.
Booster vaccination shots also influence the natural immunity one may have after an infection. According to Petousis-Harris, coronaviruses share similarities to flu when it comes to infection as it can affect anyone for how many times. Repeat infections may vary, but the consensus is that the virus’ response weakens and can be much tolerable as time passes.
The vaccine that is expected to counter most variants is from the US, and it is expected to be available for everyone within a year. Hopefully, trials hasten, and results will get promising.
The development of COVID vaccines, according to Petousis-Harris, has been very fast because of the lack of obstacles and how researchers collaborate to resolve issues in an attempt to ship the vaccine much quicker. After being done with the trials, the research team will publicize their results, and afterward, they will proceed with the following steps.
