Published 15:56 IST, June 16th 2020
Experts warn COVID-19 vaccines might be ineffective, come with 'limitation'
Experts warn as China's CanSino Biologics Inc. and giants like Pfizer Inc, AstraZeneca Plc have been profusely working to develop a vaccine for COVID-19.
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While several pharmaceuticals companies worldwide have scrambled to manufacture a potential solution for the elimination of the COVID-19 respiratory disease, a vaccine, an Imperial College London professor leading the development of an experimental shot said that the early vaccines might prove to be ineffective as they come with “limitation”. This statement comes as companies such as China's CanSino Biologics Inc. and giants like Pfizer Inc, AstraZeneca Plc, and Oxford Vaccine Group have been profusely working to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 infection.
Speaking about the effectiveness in treating the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, Shattock was quoted as saying that there was a possibility that a generic vaccine that protects against major severe disease would prove to be effective in combating the COVID-19 disease in the patient’s body. An immunologist and vaccine researcher at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, Dennis Burton, supporting that argument reportedly said that Vaccines need to protect against disease, not necessarily infection.
Prof @robin_shattock spoke to @AndrewMarr9 this morning about our upcoming #Covid19 #Coronavirus #vaccine trial. #Marr
— Imperial Medicine (@ImperialMed) June 14, 2020
Catch up from 28m37s 👇https://t.co/8xj1ucBuwj
There are several "drawbacks"
One of the fastest-moving experimental shots that have advanced into human trials showed an impact on severe disease, as per reports. Experts have claimed that only such a product if approved, might contribute to combating the disease until a more effective version was invented by the scientists. A drug development expert, also an associate vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis, Michael Kinch, was quoted saying that while holding the potential to save lives, such vaccines might lead to complacency in lockdown-weary nations. There are several drawbacks, he added.
Clinical researchers are set to begin human trials of a new #CoronavirusVaccine developed by our researchers. The study, starting imminently, will test whether our vaccine candidate (#COVAC1) produces an effective immune response against #COVID19 https://t.co/OmHVyHQ9ln
— Imperial College (@imperialcollege) June 16, 2020
In another statement, Kinch reportedly said, the effectiveness of the vaccine can be summarized in the fact that the day after someone gets immunized, they're going to assume they could go back to normal life and everything has gone back to being fine. He added people are not going to necessarily realize that they might still be susceptible to infection. However, according to the World Health Organization, vaccines are among the most effective weapons against infectious disease and prevent up to 3 million deaths a year, and yet, very few were 100 percent effective.
Updated 15:56 IST, June 16th 2020