Briefing the COVID-19 Vaccine Developments

 

The novel coronavirus spread throughout the globe in 2020 like a forest fire. The need for an immediate response felt across the world. With countries beginning to prepare for lockdown and shutting down borders, the need for an anti-COVID vaccine was a huge challenge back then.

A guest post by Saket Panicker

It is almost 18 months since the chase began. In January 2021 vaccines were introduced in the open market and by then most countries have picked up the pace to provide vaccines to their citizens. Amid the success of vaccination drives, a few countries have eased restrictions and a handful of them have turned mask-free to resume the pre-pandemic life. Nonetheless, the virus mutation has already started to occur in the several parts of the world having a deadly impact on newly infected or vaccinated patients. Hence, initiatives, mission and collective efforts to curb the new COVID infection has already begun on the grass-root levels.

A market study from Grand View Research highlights that despite the speedy development of COVID-19 vaccine development tools and rollouts, the SARS COV-2 infection has just begun to plateau mainly in the developed countries. In terms of market estimation, the COVID-19 vaccine development tools market is expected to expand at 8.6% CAGR in the next few years.

Going forward, the WHO and CDC released vaccination toolkit and guidelines for effective administration of vaccine and tackling the challenges of distribution.

1) Guidelines of WHO:

The training modules, interactive exercises, and other content is available on the website of WHO reflecting much better on vaccination guidelines. In this context, the healthcare workers are undergoing essential training to ensure adequate safety while administering the COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator’s Country Readiness and Delivery Workstream has developed a national deployment and vaccination plan (NDVP). This course is intended to empower national and sub-national focal points.

 

2) Guidelines of ACIP:

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released vaccine recommendations and guidelines of the ACIP. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) emphasizes more on offering healthcare personnel (HCP) and residents of long term care facilities (LTCF). It has prioritized vaccines for HCP who have been working long with COVID patients on direct or indirect basis.

 

Importance of COVID-19 vaccines:

l  COVID-19 vaccines have been formulated using all the clinical trials. The vaccines have also undergone extensive testing and monitoring to conclude safety and potency of the vaccine

l  The anti-COVID vaccines have gained tremendous importance in terms of human safety. Vaccination drives are conducted in full swing in most countries to ensure population sustainability in the years to come

l  These vaccines are effective to encourage herd immunity based on rapid vaccination. Besides, these are effective against severe effects of COVID-19 and provides an immunity boost in people who have reCOVered from COVID-19

l  The infection from COVID-19 is still a serious threat among the unvaccinated population leading them in prolonged hospitalization and making them vulnerable for long-term COVID effects

l  Last but not the least, vaccine studies reveal that an individual can resume many activities from the pre-pandemic life provided that the social distancing norms and COVID appropriate behaviour is followed. It also include adhering to guidelines from local authorities and governing bodies

Key Takeaway:

The WHO, CDC and other medical authorities are encouraging vaccine production by empowering the producers with the clinical approvals. The toolkit clearly demonstrates the deadly nature of the virus and vaccine viability.

According to Grand View Research, vaccine manufacturers such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Sartorius AG, Bio-Rad Laboratories and other life science industries are looking forward to focus on long-term reCOVery for SARS COV-2 infection. Whereas, companies like BioNtech, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have extended their help overseas for vaccines. Therefore, the COVID-19 vaccine development tools industry is likely to witness some of the major collaborations and acquisitions in the very near future.

One needs to get fully vaccinated at the prescribed intervals. On the contrary, a lot of factors are obstructing the speed of vaccination drives. Unequal distribution, low COVerage and vaccine hesitancy are some of the known factors disrupting the vaccination drive around the world. Conclusively, it is an individual responsibility to get vaccinated as many experts have underlined the importance of getting a vaccine to reduce the feared dangers with the mutant variants.

Author’s  Bio:

Saket Panicker

Team Lead at Grand View Research, Inc.

Saket is a full-time business writer for Grand View Research which is an India & U.S. based market research and consulting firm. His ability to connect with the readers brings simplicity and clarity on the subject. His core expertise on subjects related to healthcare, information technology, consumer goods, and chemicals prove insightful for the readers. 

Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources (http://www.pharmamicroresources.com/)