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I think, commercially, there has been a definite incentive to be the first to get a vaccine out, both for this pandemic and for future pandemics.
We have definitely felt that pressure, because the later a candidate vaccine is created, the less chance it has to scale up. But despite that knowledge, the amount of competition has not been a bad thing.
The Pfizer vaccine is now being rolled out worldwide and the Oxford vaccine is awaiting regulatory approval. We did not anticipate that we would be the first because we did not have the resources to get there faster, so we were very cautious to start. We started with a very low dose and since then it has increased with another three doses. At the end of the year we will decide which of our doses is the best to follow. So far there have been 450 participants in our study.
The side effects have been minimal. Some have complained of headaches or feeling sick, similar responses to the other types of vaccines out there.
Efficacy trials are the big unknown for us now. We need to show that we hit the correct benchmark with a good enough immune response. But it is a rapidly changing landscape. Due to the ongoing vaccine launch, it is very likely that we will not do a big trial in the UK.
It is very possible that we will do one on an international site if the data and funding comes in for that, particularly in a part of the world where they know they will not see a vaccine for the next year.
I was delighted to see the first people to be injected with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Britain. At the beginning of the pandemic, we predicted that it would take 12 to 18 months to develop a new vaccine. The fact that it was less was great news for everyone and also a real validation for messenger RNA technology (which instructs cells in the body to make certain proteins, which create an antibody response) and which is also being used in our vaccine.
The downside at this point is that even if we have started rolling out vaccines, scaling up will be very slow. This is especially the case in low- and middle-income countries due to the current need to transport Pfizer in temperatures of -75 ° C and their reliance on what is described as the “cold chain” to move it into sufficiently freezing temperatures. .
We know that we can make our vaccine stable at standard refrigeration temperature, so it will be much easier to implement. I also think it could play an important role as an annual booster.
The recent Covid-19 mutation that is causing such an increase in cases, and has led to some parts of the country being placed at Level 4, is a wake-up call to all of us that the virus may continue to change as we more people get vaccinated. It’s a simple survival mechanism: As more people get punctured and develop natural immunity, more pressure is put on the virus to avoid that immune response.
I don’t think this new variant is the time when things are going to get really bad, as there is currently no evidence that the vaccines that have been developed will not work against it. But I do think it offers a lesson that we really need to follow the virus closely and make sure we stay ahead.
The fear is that, over time, the coronavirus may begin to escape the immune response. It may well be like the flu and by the end of next year we will start to see Covid-19 mutating beyond the current candidate vaccines and therefore we need to make adjustments.
We need to watch it very carefully and not assume that we are not going to see a mutation that could mean a vaccine adjustment. It should be relatively easy to fix on a technical level, but then more doses of any vaccine have to be manufactured, a process that can take several months.
In terms of getting life back to normal in Britain, much depends on whether the Oxford University vaccine is approved. If that comes soon, as has been reported, then there is a good chance of a degree of normalcy by summer 2021. Certainly, hopefully by the end of next year everyone will be well covered with vaccines.
Since that day in January, things have been a roller coaster and very intense. I’ve seen my family, but probably not as much as they would like. They have been extremely patient. A daughter and two stepdaughters are all older, so luckily I haven’t missed any bedtime stories. My wife is not a scientist, but she is very understanding about what needs to be done and what I need to help do.
As he told Joe Shute
Read more of A day to remember in a year like no other
Michael Dobbs: The day Dominic Cummings broke a nation’s trust by going for a ride
Andrew Lloyd Webber: The day the lights went out in my beloved West End
David goodhart: The day Covid shook my faith in TV news
Ed lucas: The day the Czech Republic called China’s ‘wolf warrior’ bluff
For more great essays on the year 2020, click here
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