One of the most-awaited and hoped for things of this year has been a vaccine for the virus, a cure for the disease that has ravaged the world and left us in a state of uncertainty about the future. Now, finally, there seems to be hope, maybe not too soon, but any kind of progress is positive.
A coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford appears to be safe and triggers an immune response.
According to the BBC, preliminary trials of 1077 people showed the injection led to them making antibodies and T-cells that can fight the virus. There were no dangerous side effects apart from mild fever or headache, which could be managed with paracetamol.
The vaccine – called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 – is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees.
Scientists have modified the vaccine so it can’t cause infection, and also to make it look like the virus. They transferred the genetic instructions for the coronavirus’ ‘spike protein’ to the vaccine they were developing.
This is a huge beacon of hope for the world at large, and it is thought that widespread vaccination will be possible by next year. Let’s hope things work out.