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Although various medications are also being tested to treat COVID-19, Gates believes the perfect medication that could help the world go back to the way it was in December before the coronavirus pandemic is out of sight.
Coronavirus block: latest updates
“Most of the drug candidates right now are not that powerful. They could save many lives, but they are not enough to get us back to normal,” the Microsoft co-founder wrote on his blog GatesNotes on Thursday.
In the absence of a “near-perfect drug to treat COVID-19”, it becomes imperative that everyone on the planet be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
“Realistically, if we are to return to normal, we need to develop a safe and effective vaccine. We need to make billions of doses, we need to get them to all parts of the world, and we need all of this to happen as quickly as possible,” he said.
While development of the vaccine generally takes around five years, Gates believes that scientists can devise a coronavirus vaccine within 9 months to two years.
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“As of April 9, there are 115 different candidates for the COVID-19 vaccine in the development pipeline. I think eight to ten of them look particularly promising,” Gates said.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding various efforts to find a solution to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Microsoft co-founder explained that safety and efficacy are the two most important goals for each vaccine.
Some minor side effects, such as mild fever or pain at the injection site, are generally acceptable, and all vaccines are not 100% effective.
“For example, this year’s flu shot is about 45 percent effective,” he said.
“I suspect that a vaccine that is at least 70 percent effective will be enough to stop the outbreak (COVID-19). A 60 percent effective vaccine is usable, but we could still see some localized outbreaks. Anything below 60 per percent is unlikely to create enough collective immunity to stop the virus, “Gates said.
To stop the pandemic, the world will need to manufacture and distribute at least 7 billion doses (or possibly 14 billion, if it’s a multi-dose vaccine) of the vaccine, he added.
