According to the latest data from health authorities, the worldwide confirmed case of COVID-19 has exceeded 3.5 million. Though the number of people recovering has increased by more than 34 thousand in the last 24 hours, thousands of people who have been lost so far continue to be added to each passing day. Scientists who map the genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19 disease are working day and night to develop an effective vaccine to end the infection. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 70 different COVID-19 vaccines currently being developed worldwide. But many experts point out that it may take 12 to 18 months to meet all protocols, even if a vaccine is currently available. There are 70 different COVID-19 vaccines being developed worldwide Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccine science from Oxford University, said in a statement last week that the vaccine developed against the new type of coronavirus will be available in September with a probability of 80 percent. US President Donald Trump made a similar statement yesterday and stated that the vaccine will be available before 2020 ends. So what if these scenarios are not real and the vaccine cannot be developed? Dr. Professor of global health from Imperial College London and special representative of the World Health Organization, COVID-19. “All societies need to put themselves in a protected position against the constant threat of coronavirus,” David Nabarro told CNN. Experts stress that we need plans A and B in case the vaccine cannot be developed Dr. of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Peter Hotez says they do not set a date between 1 year and 18 months for any vaccine and adds: “This does not mean it’s impossible, but it will be a heroic success if it happens. We need plans A and B ” He previously participated in vaccination studies for the SARS outbreak that was effective between 2002-2003. Hotez states that proving that the vaccine to be developed will actually work and is safe is a very difficult process. So let’s go back to the question we asked a few paragraphs ago: What if the vaccine cannot be found? “It is a very difficult process to prove that the vaccine to be developed will really work and is safe.” Emeritus Professor Keith Neal of Nottingham University’s Department of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology emphasizes that the isolation imposed is not economically and politically sustainable, and states that countries will have to slowly get out of the current state of emergency. Dr. “It will be absolutely critical to have a public health system that includes contact monitoring, diagnosis at the workplace, observation of symptoms, and early communication on whether to re-apply physical distance. This can be done, but it’s complex and we haven’t done this before.” Saying that he is hopeful about developing a vaccine against COVID-19, infectious diseases specialist Paul Offit points out that a lot of people and money have been invested in research in this field. On the other hand, Offit, who does not think that the vaccine can be developed immediately, says “I will be really surprised if we can find the vaccine every 18 months.”
