If research to find a vaccine continues, the scientific community remains cautious. It recalls the possibility that nobody can develop the right formula for such a vaccine. Certain difficulties hamper research, and this would be partly due to the fact that Covid-19 is unique compared to other coronaviruses.
Nothing certain about the vaccine
Among the current research concerning the development of a Covid-19 vaccine, that of the University of Oxford (United Kingdom) recently received attention. Indeed, the researchers have already developed a formula and are currently conducting a clinical trial on humans. According to the project leaders, the vaccine could be on the market by September 2020 if all goes well.
However, this surge of optimism does not prevent the scientific community from be careful. In an article published by The Guardian On May 22, 2020, a prominent British flu specialist spoke on the issue. This is Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England since 2017.
“We cannot be sure we will get a vaccine” did he declare.
Vaccine may be ineffective
The specialist recalls the absence of an HIV vaccine, when researchers first isolated the virus three decades ago. There is also the dengue virus, isolated in 1943 but only vaccinated in 2019. In reality, the most rapidly developed vaccine is none other than the one against mumps, and it still required four years of research!
However, the SARS (2003) and MERS (2012) coronavirus epidemics have made progress in the search for vaccines. This could therefore be beneficial for research against Covid-19. However, it is incumbent to learn more about this coronavirus. The biggest concern is that being infected with the virus does not allow long immunity after healing.
In other words, the immune response would be brief and people could be fairly quickly re-infected due to low antibody production. However, this greatly questions researchers about the real effectiveness of a vaccine. Indeed, if a vaccine only protects individuals for one year, there is a good chance that we have no choice but to live a long time with the Covid-19.
Potentially embarrassing mutations
You should know that the genetic stability of Covid-19 is also very important. Still, the viruses that cause seasonal flu mutate quickly, so researchers often have to develop new vaccine formulas. As for HIV, it is evolving rapidly and this embodies the main reason for the lack of vaccine after all these years.
Covid-19 has been fairly stable to date, but, like other viruses, it naturally mutates. However, certain mutations concerned the proteins at the forefront of the virus, particularly targeted by vaccines. In other words, too important a mutation would make the antibodies produced obsolete by the vaccine. These could not bind to the virus in order to effectively prevent the onset of the disease.
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