COVID-19 Vaccine Update | Dhruv Rathee

China, which was the epicenter of the disease, has seemed to contain the outbreak and economic activities in the country resumed with considerable pace. But, a rise in locally transmitted cases last week across three cities has led to authorities closing schools, ramping up their testing capacity, and imposing lockdowns.

Governments across the globe apart from testing their citizens for Covid-19 are also racing against time to find a vaccine, which perhaps is the most effective way to fight the disease. Vaccine manufacturers, both at the government and private level, have seen effective results from their human clinical trials and await a license for emergency use so that their doses can be provided to those most in need of it.

The University of Oxford and pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca on Monday said that their vaccine was up to 90 percent effective in late-stage clinical trials. They will now approach regulators with full data from the trial to obtain an emergency license to provide shots to those who need it the most -- front-line workers and people who are most vulnerable.

The United Kingdom regulator of medicines pointed out it has started assessing the data derived from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine candidate which has shown a 95 percent effectiveness against the viral disease. Based on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA’s) assessment and approval, the vaccine might be available from December.

Public health experts in Tamil Nadu have said they are gearing up to vaccinate people as soon as a Covid-19 vaccine is rolled out. Two out of the four vaccine candidates in the country are being tested in the state. Clinical trials for Covishield of Oxford University and AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech International Limited’s Covaxin vaccines are being conducted. The second phase of Covishield would be completed soon.

Some really great news is coming from the scientists working on the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. There are two potential vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna who have successfully conducted phase 3 trials and have shown to have more than 95% effectiveness. In this video, I explain and interview India's leading vaccine expert Dr. Gagandeep Kang. The full interview will be available exclusively for Patron and Youtube Members.