We know you’ve already heard this a million times, but it’s a bitter truth no one can escape.
Coronavirus has turned our lives upside down. As they say, the value of something can only be understood after losing it. Today we tend to value our freedom more than ever. On the one hand, where we’re staying in isolation by taking precautions, on the other, we’re patiently waiting for a vaccine because everyone wants to get back to the old normal.
Talking about vaccines, several attempts have already obtained clearance for human trials, and that time is not far when we’ll be hitting the roads like old times.
A deeper look at upcoming studies
According to a study published in Nature, blood tests conducted on monkeys have shown tremendous accuracy in predicting the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. The study shows the unique reaction of telltale blood markers. Telltale blood markers help determine whether a monkey’s immune system is strong enough or not for wiping out Coronavirus.
This research has filled scientists hoping to find the same markers in human beings who’ve participated in clinical trials. It’s being speculated that if the markers are strong enough, researchers will be able to check the vaccine’s effectiveness without waiting for the trial volunteers to get infected.
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What medical professionals have to say
In a recent interview, Dr. Dan Barouch, a vaccine expert in Boston and a fellow researcher behind the study involving monkeys, said that this study would pave the way for rapid growth in the COVID-19 field.
Last month after Moderna, Pfizer, and BioNTech announced that they’d completed the clinical trials with approximately 95% efficiency, the vaccine makers who are currently at an early stage were shocked. As per Dr. Nelson Michael, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases, vaccine makers who are at an early stage will have to follow millions of people for a long time because they’ll need many volunteers. And, of course, lots of time and enough money.
Moreover, Dr. Nelson said that companies like Pfizer and Moderna wouldn’t have enough vaccines for the United States, let alone the world. By giving hope to new vaccine makers, he said that they could provide vaccines with some extra advantages for customers like cheaper vaccines or ones that offer longer protection.
He also compared the study on monkeys to a holy grail and said that it’s great for new vaccine developers as they won’t have to wait for clinical trials. He also suggested they use measures like “correlate of protection” for testing new vaccines.
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Summing it up
It’s being said that if correlates of protection exist, it will work wonders for the future as we’ll be able to make more vaccines and that too, at a rapid pace. While scientists are doing their job, we can pray and hope for a better future.