Coronavirus vaccine update: Oxford COVID-19 vaccine could provide “double protection”, say researchers

Coronavirus COVID19 vaccine Russia, India, USA, Oxford update news: US-based Moderna has been working on a potential coronavirus vaccine candidate known as mRNA-1273. (Representative image by Reuters)

Coronavirus COVID19 vaccine Russia, India, USA, Oxford update news: University of Oxford researchers have revealed that they might have a breakthrough in their endeavour to produce a COVID-19 vaccine. The announcement has come after the University of Oxford team discovered that the jab could provide “double protection” against the deadly coronavirus following early-stage human trials. The human trials of Oxford-AstraZeneca showed that the dose of vaccine has successfully managed to produce both antibodies and “killer T-cells” in the receiver’s body. The results are promising because separate studies have indicated that antibodies may fade away within months while T-cells can stay in circulation for years.

After Russia, and US-based Moderna, positive news pertaining to the Coronavirus COVID19 vaccine could come today from Oxford-AstraZeneca! World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that more than 150 potential vaccines for coronavirus are at different stages of development. So, around 23 vaccines have managed to reach the human trials phase. Meanwhile, state heads of eight countries – Canada, Tunisia, Spain, New Zealand, South Korea, Ethiopia, Sweden, and South Africa have sought fair distribution of Coronavirus vaccine when it is developed.

Coronavirus vaccine UK Oxford AstraZeneca

The University of Oxford in collaboration with global biopharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca has been developing a potential coronavirus vaccine candidate ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. The vaccine candidate has entered the Phase III Human trials. While Phase 1 trial of the potential coronavirus vaccine has shown promising results, the complete data will be published on July 20.

Coronavirus vaccine Russia

Russia has said that its “World’s first coronavirus covid19 vaccine” is ‘safe’. The Defence Ministry of that country has revealed that all the volunteers who were part of the human trials did not show “serious adverse events, health complaints, complications or side effects”. The defence ministry has revealed it expects clinical trials of the potential coronavirus vaccine will be fully completed by the end of July. Officials in Moscow earlier said that the “civil distribution” of the coronavirus vaccine could begin by mid-August and mass production in September. Russia has also planned to produce 30 million doses of the potential COVID19 vaccine domestically in 2020, with the potential to manufacture a further 170 million abroad, as per the Reuters report.

Coronavirus vaccine India

India’s two indigenous coronavirus vaccine candidates have entered the human trials phase. COVAXIN is being developed by ICMR, Bharat Biotech, ICMR and NIV, Pune. Zydus Cadila has also begun Phase I trial for its vaccine.

Coronavirus vaccine USA Moderna

US-based Moderna has been working on a potential coronavirus vaccine candidate known as mRNA-1273 in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente Washinton Health Research Institute. The phase I trials of Moderna began on March 16 and Moderna was the first organization to commence the clinical trial of the potential coronavirus vaccine candidate. An interim analysis has revealed that an immune response has been generated in participants of phase I clinical trials, as per a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Moderna will begin its Phase III trials on July 27