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There is an astonishing search for a coronavirus vaccine around the world, and there is tremendous pressure on researchers, who are expected to do nothing less than make a vaccine as soon as possible, ending the insanity of the coronavirus epidemic. . However, experts are trying to cool expectations: first-generation Covid vaccines are not expected to eradicate the coronavirus.
Even if there is a safe vaccine against the new type of coronavirus for January, mass vaccinations can begin in April-June at the earliest, and the virus will be with us for years to come. Some say at least five years before it goes down, others say it won’t even go away, that you have to live with it, like you do with the flu.
Eszter Nagy, CEO of Cebina GmbH, spoke about this in a professional forum the other day. However, the first person from the Vienna-based biotech company was quite knowledgeable about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as Cebina is also working on a self-developed Covid-19 vaccine together with the Virology Research Group. from the University of Pécs directed by Ferenc Jakab.
Eszter Nagy bases this not-so-optimistic scenario on several known facts, and on the fact that, although we are increasingly aware of the Chinese coronavirus, there are at least as many questions about it. For example, there is a lack of definitive knowledge about how long, if at all, a patient recovering from Covid-19 will be protected against the virus, as there is no measurable laboratory parameter for this.
It’s not really encouraging, he added, that those who recover find little or no quality antibody, so reinfections can occur. It’s clear that future vaccines should elicit a better immune response than this one, he said.
Extinguishing media that must not be used for safety reasons.
In the case of Covid-19, experts now say that at least 70 percent of the population needs to be protected in order to speak of flock immunity, and that those who cannot be vaccinated for some reason or do not develop protection to despite being vaccinated they do not get sick. Immunity must be maintained for at least a year as a result of vaccination, and the efficacy must be at least 90 percent, which may even be the case when Americans and Russians report bidding in recent days.
At the same time, both the U.S. and European pharmaceutical authorities have set the approval threshold for these first-generation coronavirus vaccines at a very low rate of 50 percent, and this is probably the most realistic approach. Eszter Nagy also believed:
the first vaccines will not be very effective, even though two doses are expected.
In addition, we can only count on a few months of protection at the moment, which, however, is very important to prevent the development of serious symptoms and thus alleviate the burden on healthcare.
By the way, other experts share Eszter Nagy’s cautious optimism about first-generation Covid vaccines. For example, in a study published in The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, Hong Kong virologists write that even if vaccines are successful in providing protection against disease, they may not be as effective in preventing the spread of infection. It is a mistake to think that vaccination will solve everything at once and that we can continue with our lives in the same way as before the outbreak.
He is most prominent in his article, also published in The Lancet, by the head of the British government’s vaccination task force, who said that the first generation of vaccines is likely to be imperfect. Kate Bingham believes that you should even be prepared for the fact that they may not even prevent infection, but may only reduce symptoms, or may not affect everyone or for a long time. According to
protection against complacency and over-optimism is important.
Nose, not muscle
All Covid vaccines that have already reached the target line will need to be injected into a muscle, but the CEO of Cebina said the question is whether they will be able to provide adequate protection on the surface of the mucosa, especially in the nose and throat where they are originates the infection. As you said,
Nasal immunization, i.e. nasal spray vaccination, may also be required,
which can prevent both the development of the disease and the transmission of the infection. Among second-generation vaccines, which are more likely to provide stronger and longer-lasting protection and thus achieve herd immunity, this will be the case.
WHO currently registers more than 170 candidate vaccines, 11 of which are already in the final phase of clinical trials. A total of 48 vaccines are being tested in clinical settings, including a nasal spray developed in China, and an additional 6 Covid vaccines are being tested.
Inhalation vaccines can provide a line of defense directly on the nasopharyngeal mucosa, which is of particular importance in the case of a respiratory viral infection such as Covid-19. Such an effective vaccine would prevent the virus from multiplying in areas where the infected person coughs or exhales the virus, that is, in the upper respiratory tract. The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the nose and also multiplies in the nose.
Influenza spreads in a similar way, but there the virus multiplies in the lower respiratory tract, and there are already vaccines in the form of nasal sprays for that viral infection, although there are conflicting reports about their effectiveness. At the same time, nasal vaccines are used effectively in animals whose dog has already been vaccinated against kennel cough, knowing that it is also applied by dripping into the nose.
Parallel research, combined vaccinations
There are several research teams around the world working on the Covid vaccine, which can be administered in the form of a nasal spray.
- The vaccine, jointly developed by the University of Hong Kong, Xiamen University and Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co. Ltd., was licensed for clinical trials on September 1. Testing is being conducted by Maryland-based Altimmune in partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Scott Roberts, Altimmune’s chief science officer, says this vaccine can trigger a special type of immunity called mucosal immunity.
- The Indian Covid-19 aerosol vaccine, jointly developed by Bharat Biotech and the University of Washington School of Medicine, will be capable of producing up to one billion doses, and as such vaccines are said to be, one dose will suffice.
One of the main arguments in favor of Covid nasal spray vaccines is that the injections are also more likely to settle. It is also no coincidence that they do not require specialized personnel for their use, are cheaper to manufacture, do not require special transport and storage, and have a longer shelf life than normal vaccines.
However, most experts believe that multiple vaccines are expected to be needed to effectively control Covid-19,
as different solutions are likely to be needed to immunize healthy young people, the elderly, pregnant women or even chronic patients.
Cover image: Getty Images Hungary Photographer: Anadolu Agency
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