When will we get the vaccine?

The global growth in Covid-19 cases has given a rise to a pertinent question, When will the Vaccine for the virus be developed?

The vaccine development and approval process is a long and lengthy one, generally requiring over six stages.

• Exploratory stage

• Pre-clinical stage

• Clinical development

• Regulatory review and approval

• Manufacturing

• Quality control

The first step is the academic research, which typically takes two years. The second stage is the Pre-clinical stage, where the vaccine is tested for its effects on animals, while preparing for the tests on the human subjects. The clinical development is three-tier process with rigorous testing on the human subjects.

In Phase I the vaccine is tested on a small group of people closely monitored for side effects, and efficiency. The number of tests and dosage are increased on a bigger population, the Phase III is the final stage where the vaccine is tested on much large population of thousands of people of a different age groups and works of life. Unfortunately, Only 10% of the vaccines succeed through the clinical tests for approval. The vaccine is approved, in the USA by the FDA where the independent experts and FDA scientists further test the authenticity and effectiveness of the vaccine. The vaccine is then distributed for public use.

This starts another phase of tests, Phase IV, where the long-term effects of the vaccine is tested and recorded on the general population for quality control. The vaccine development, manufacture, and approval typically requires over a decade, which means that the vaccine would be available by 2036. The global economy cannot tolerate this kind of extensive lock down and thus the goal set by most are of 12-18 months.

Thus, it can be safely and sadly said, that the vaccine will not be available anytime soon and the world should adapt to this new world order, where hygiene and social distancing are the top most priority.