At present, the whole world is facing the threat of the rapid spread of novel coronavirus that first emerged in China at the end of December 2019. In no time, the infection converted into coronavirus pandemic and took the whole world under its spell. The infection is spreading among the people of the whole world. This disease has globally affected almost 152000 individuals and has claimed more than 5700 lives. Researchers and scientists all over the world are working to introduce a coronavirus cure or vaccine that will help to prevent people from getting infected from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As a result, a coronavirus vaccine trial has begun in Seattle on 16^th March 2020.

Initially, the researchers and scientists announced that any likely event of the introduction of a vaccine will be no sooner than a year or so. However, beyond people’s expectations, government officials on Monday 16^th March 2020 announced that a clinical trial on coronavirus cure will begin on the same day. The vaccine is expected to prevent viral infection. However, an observation of its benefits and side-effects will be made on 45 volunteers to judge its effectiveness.

Coronavirus vaccine trial:

Coronavirus vaccine trial

The clinical trial of coronavirus vaccine began on March 16^th, 2020. It involves the observation of benefits and side-effects of a vaccine shot developed by the National Institutes of Health and drug maker Moderna. The technical name of the vaccine is mRNA-1273. National Institute of Health and Oslo-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) are funding the trial. Coronavirus cure trial enrollees 45 healthy and adult volunteers ranging from ages 18 to 55 years. The trial will continue for almost 6 weeks as reported by NIH.

Coronavirus cure:

Officials of the US government stated that the very first person participating in the vaccine trial will be given a measured dose during the experimental process starting from Monday. This dose will check the possible side effects of the vaccine in humans. The researchers will inject different doses of the vaccine in the volunteers to check the results.  The vaccine will not use any active or inactive coronavirus samples. It will trigger an immune response in the volunteers by using a gene-based method making use of messenger RNA. Luckily this new gene-based method will reduce the chances of infection in volunteers from the virus as a result of the coronavirus vaccine trial. However, researchers believe that it will take almost a year to 18 months to make a fully validated vaccine to cure this disease.

The purpose of the trial is purely to test the success and working of the vaccine. These trial tests will also confirm that the coronavirus cure medicine has no dangerous side effects. If the vaccine passes the initial phases, it will be suitable for further tests.

Researchers Work:

Coronavirus Researchers Work

At present, there is no such vaccine that can cure this disease and no such treatment is present that will aid in the recovery of the patients. Many research teams around the world are working to make a vaccine that will act as a prevention and cure for the disease. Researchers are working to make such a shot that shows the best results at the earliest. Some of these researchers are also working on the idea that such coronavirus cure shots should be made that are effective for a specific time period. Thus meanwhile a permanent cure is developed, the short-lived cure medicine can provide temporary protection to humans.

For instance, Inovio Pharmaceuticals is aiming to launch safety tests for the vaccine in the next month. They have decided to test the vaccine in volunteers at the Pennsylvania University and also another test Center in Kansas, Missouri. Other than working on new vaccines, scientists are also testing different drugs along with HIV drugs against this new virus. A drug named Remdesivi that was previously used to treat Ebola is also being tested for its efficiency as a coronavirus cure. Nebraska Medical Center University in United Stated has also begun to test Remdesivi, by giving doses of vaccine to some American patients infected by a coronavirus.

Market availability of coronavirus vaccine:

Donald Trump has been pursuing the research teams to take rapid actions to make the coronavirus vaccine quickly available. Although the trials started on March 16th, introducing the vaccine for the general public is a matter of time. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony explained that even if the test initially gains success, making a fully successful and effective vaccine to cure coronavirus will take almost a year or 18 months.

Coronavirus symptoms vary in individuals:

The Coronavirus Symptoms vary from person to person and in different age groups also. For example, coronavirus results in only moderate symptoms like cough and normal fever in some patients. However, it results in severe illness like pneumonia in older people. Based on this fact, varying doses of the vaccine will be administered in different individuals.

Coronavirus pandemic, not a new concept:

Everyone is aware of the fact that the deadly viral infection was first heard of at the start of January 2020 and identified in Wuhan, the city of China. However, in no time, this viral infection turned into an episode of coronavirus pandemic. Over 3 months, it has spread in many regions of the world. However, the concept of coronavirus doesn’t seem totally new. A 2011- film named “Contagion” involved a factor of coronavirus. Strangely enough, in the film, a similar disease spreads from China to the rest of the world. Bats were the main culprit of the infection.

Effects of Coronavirus pandemic on Economy and lives of people:

Other than claiming the lives of thousands of people, the coronavirus pandemic has badly affected the economy of the world. It has also disturbed the daily lives. In most countries, the government has locked down various sectors to avoid the spread of the infection. Thus it has emerged as a very alarming situation worldwide. The virus is not only making people ill. It is also affecting the educational and economic sectors. People have become mentally depressed due to fear of infection. At such a time, the vaccine trial is a ray of hope and a sigh of relief for the world.