A top scientist stated that COVID-19 vaccines are not required which may be available later this year or next year.
Six to eight new immunizations may be ready for regulatory review by the end of the year – some of which do not require needles and can be stored at room temperature, said Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization. Bloomberg news.
Swaminathan said that the experimental vaccines in production use alternative techniques and delivery systems, including oral and nasal administration and skin patches, which are better for some groups.
Promising vaccines are studying more than 80 candidate vaccines, some of which are in early stages and may fail, Bloomberg reports.
According to Bloomberg, only 122 of the 195 countries in the world have started immunizing civilians against COVID-19, as drug manufacturers struggle to fill orders.
“We are thrilled with the vaccines we have,” Swaminathan said. According to the report, “we can improve this further”. “I think, in 2022, we’re going to see the emergence of better vaccines.”
Current manufacturers are also testing updated versions of their shots to deal with dangerous variants of the virus, which have evolved in recent months.
The WHO is reviewing whether the COVID-19 survivors only need one shot of the vaccine to free up excess supplies.
Swaminathan warned that the one-shot approach could complicate matters in many countries. However, according to Bloomberg, blood tests are required to measure antibodies.
Reportedly, scientists are also replacing placebo with “gold standard” vaccines for ethical reasons in some experimental testing. Another approach under review is comparing three or four candidate drugs with a placebo, meaning that patients will only have a 20 percent chance of receiving a fake dose.
Swaminathan said, “We are discussing with many companies with developmental vaccines whether we can launch something like this on a global trial platform.”
The top scientist reiterated on Monday that no documented deaths related to COVID-19 vaccines have occurred.
Several countries have suspended the AstraZeneca shot to study its potential negative side effects, but Swaminathan said: “We don’t want people to panic.”
With post wires
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