XALIMANEWS- The possible vaccine designed by the French company Valneva, which will be manufactured in Scotland, is an inactivated vaccine. If it turns out to be effective in protecting us from SARS-CoV-2, it could certainly help reduce the spread of the virus.
In this case, boosters would undoubtedly be necessary, perhaps on an annual basis, in order to guarantee the sustainability of the immune memory. In the event of an epidemic, everyone in the infected area could receive a dose of the vaccine to limit transmission.
Another vaccine design involves extracting the genetic code from the part of the virus that is known to stimulate an immune response, and inserting it into a carrier organism that cannot cause disease.
The hepatitis B vaccine uses the code for the antigen found on the surface of infectious particles of the virus. This code was introduced into the genome of a harmless yeast to make a vaccine. As it expands, the yeast divides, communicates its antigenic properties to the surface of the virus, and therefore prompts the body to elicit a continuous immune response. Given in three doses over a six-month period, this vaccine requires a booster after about five years for most people.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by the team at Oxford University, and with promising initial results, basically uses this approach, as the researchers extracted the spike protein code from SARS-CoV- 2 to graft it into a harmless virus vector.
It is therefore possible that the initial schedule for anyone treated with this type of vaccine involves one or two booster doses a few months after the first dose, as is the case for the hepatitis B vaccine. We are not some of the immune duration in the case of COVID-19 under this strategy, but it could be measured in terms of years by analogy with hepatitis B. This may be enough to contain the spread of SARS-CoV -2.
The need for a booster vaccine should not stand in the way of the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, as demonstrated by the prevention of hepatitis B, MMR, and influenza.
But it will take a concerted effort to manufacture the billions of doses of vaccine and distribute them efficiently and equitably across the globe. All countries will need to have a strong immunization program in place to ensure that all receive a first dose, and to conduct a booster campaign for the second and third doses if necessary. Equally important is monitoring the immune response of people being treated to confirm that the booster is working as expected.
If we’re successful, immunization against COVID-19 could become as commonplace in our health care routine as going to the dentist regularly.
The conversation with Lesoleil.com
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