Coronavirus vaccine update: The world recorded nearly 600,000 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the tally near the 49-million mark. While the US caseload is nearing 10 million, India, France, Russia and Brazil are also struggling to curb the growth of the highly infectious virus. Every hope today is pinned on coronavirus vaccine development. Take a look at how things stand:
-There are at least 182 coronavirus vaccine candidates in pre-clinical or clinical-trial stages across the globe. Of these, nine are in final human-trial stage. In India, two vaccines are in Phase-II trials and one (the Oxford University one) in Phase-III.
-Experts have said vaccines are likely to reach the general public in the March-April 2021. Drug makers, on the other hand, have been more ambitious with their calculations.
-Firms like Moderna Inc and Pfizer are eyeing the emergency-use authorisation route to launch their shots by year-end.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE updates
Covid vaccine progress
1. India coronavirus vaccine update
Bharat Biotech, a private firm that is developing COVAXIN with the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), had earlier hoped to launch it only in the second quarter of next year. “The vaccine has shown good efficacy,” senior ICMR scientist Rajni Kant, who is also a member of its Covid-19 task force, said at the research body’s New Delhi headquarters. “It is expected that by the beginning of next year, February or March, something would be available.” Bharat Biotech could not be contacted.
A launch in February would make COVAXIN the first India-made vaccine to be rolled out.
2. China coronavirus vaccine update
BioNTech's Chinese partner Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group does not plan to run further clinical trials of the German firm's coronavirus vaccine candidate that has completed early-stage trials in China, an executive said. Fosun will focus instead on seeking Chinese approval for BioNTech's other experimental vaccine which is in final-stage human trials in the United States
3. CanSino Biologics delivers coronavirus vaccine to Mexico for late-stage trial
Mexico has received the first doses of a Covid-19 vaccine candidate from Chinese pharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics Inc. for a late stage-trial on between 10,000 and 15,000 volunteers. The country aims to vaccinate nearly all of its population against Covid-19 by the end of 2021
4. Oxford coronavirus vaccine progress
The Covid-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford could present late-stage trial results before the year end but it is unclear if it will be rolled out before Christmas, the chief trial investigator for the vaccine said on Wednesday.
"I'm optimistic that we could reach that point before the end of this year," Oxford Vaccine Trial Chief Investigator Andrew Pollard said of presenting trial results this year.
"Our bit - we are getting closer to but we are not there yet," Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said.
5. Germany coronavirus vaccine update
German vaccine maker CureVac has said that interim results from early trials showed that its investigational Covid-19 vaccine candidate, CvnCoV, appeared safe and triggered immune response among volunteers.
The Phase 1 study has enrolled to date more than 250 healthy individuals aged 18 to 60 years.
6. Israel Covid vaccine update: Human trials for coronavirus vaccine underway
Israel began human trials on November 1 for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate (BriLife) which, if successful, could be ready for use by general public by the end of next summer. "We are in the final stretch," said Shmuel Shapira, Director General of the Israel Institute for Biological Research.
7. Moderna coronavirus vaccine update
American biotechnology company Moderna announced that it was preparing for the global launch of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate mRNA-1273. On October 22, the Phase 3 study of mRNA-1273 completed enrollment of 30,000 participants with approximately 37 per cent of participants from diverse communities. The Phase 1 interim analysis of the vaccine, published in The New England Journal of Medicine on July 14, showed that mRNA-1273 was generally well-tolerated across all age groups and induced rapid and strong immune responses against SARS-CoV-2.
8. Pfizer coronavirus vaccine update
According to a report published in Reuters, the British government expects that a verdict on whether Pfizer Inc-backed Covid-19 vaccine works will be available before the results are in on AstraZeneca Plc's competing vaccine.
Britain believes that the vaccine, which Pfizer is co-developing with Germany's BioNTech SE, could be ready to distribute before Christmas, the report, quoting Times, said.
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