Coronavirus Vaccine: How Close Are We To Finding One Here s What s Happening

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Experts are hopeful that a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus will become available sooner rather than later.

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For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the [ WHO website].

[ Coronavirus] cases are [ surging in 37 states across the US], prompting 14 state governments to [ pause or roll back their reopening] plans in an effort to [ ] of a [/news/a-second-coronavirus-wave-are-we-in-it-or-will-infections-spike-again-this-fall-what-we-know/ second wave of the virus]. For people in the US who've grown weary of [/news/coronavirus-quarantine-and-lockdowns-are-starting-to-end-heres-how-reopening-will-work/ lockdowns], [/news/social-distancing-how-to-do-it-who-should-do-it-and-for-how-long/ social distancing] and the [/news/face-masks-required-where-you-live-heres-where-to-buy-one-online/ polarizing issue of face masks], a vaccine, which many experts think may be the only way to end the pandemic, can't arrive soon enough. So, momcheap.hpage.com how close are we to a vaccine for COVID-19?
Possibly closer than you think.




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Vaccines typically take years -- sometimes even decades -- to develop, approve, manufacture and [ distribute globally]. However, there have never been [ so many doctors and scientists] working this hard and fast at it. Just half a year since SARS-CoV-2 was first discovered, already [ 17 vaccine candidates] are in human trials, with dozens more still being developed.

Thanks to the federal "[ Operation Warp Speed]" vaccine acceleration program (keep reading for more on how it works), director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease [ Dr. Anthony Fauci] said he expects the US will have "[ hundreds of millions of doses]" of the vaccine ready to deploy by early 2021. Fauci also cautioned that if a significant percentage of Americans refuse a coronavirus vaccine, the US might not reach the critical level of [/news/herd-immunity-what-it-is-and-how-it-can-slow-the-spread-of-coronavirus/ herd immunity] needed to end the pandemic, he said during an [ interview posted on YouTube Sunday].

This article updates frequently and is intended to be a general overview, not a source of medical advice. If you're seeking more information about coronavirus testing, [/news/coronavirus-testing-near-me-how-to-find-covid-19-test-sites-and-wait-times/ here's how to find a testing site] near you. Here's [/news/can-you-get-tested-for-coronavirus-right-now-heres-who-qualifies/ how to know if you qualify for a test] and [/news/how-to-get-tested-for-coronavirus-at-home/ how to get an at-home coronavirus test].



























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Latest COVID-19 vaccine news  A vaccine candidate called [ Ad5-nCoV] has been [ approved for use by the military in China], despite Phase 3 trials having not yet begun.A vaccine being developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca is [ slated to begin Phase 3 clinical trials], which are expected to include about 30,000 volunteers. A different vaccine developed by US biotech company Moderna is [ set to begin Phase 3 human trials] with another 30,000 volunteers starting in July. In June, [ Moderna partnered with drugmaker Catalent] to prepare an initial 100 million doses of its vaccine candidate to be ready for distribution by October in the hopes it receives FDA approval. Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm is also set to [ begin large-scale Phase 3 trials] of its own vaccine candidate.A vaccine candidate developed by researchers at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore might not only create immunity to the coronavirus, it could also be used to [ treat active infections]. Trials are set to begin in August.Scientists tracking the coronavirus genome report that, unlike other viruses such as the flu, [ this coronavirus doesn't change quickly], which means mutations are unlikely to slow the development of a vaccine.
An effective coronavirus vaccine might be the only way to bring a stop to preventative measures, like social distancing and face masks.

James Martin/CNET
The presumed frontrunners: Moderna and Oxford University
[ Moderna] has been making headlines for its coronavirus vaccine development -- both positive and negative. Early reports that Moderna's first trials [ showed promise for immunity] caused its [ stock to soar]. Soon after, however, scientists [ cast doubt on the company's data], causing the [ same stocks to falter].

Moderna is a beneficiary of the US [ Food and Drug Administration's program to fast-track vaccines]. The [ fast-track process] expedites approval by allowing select labs to submit their review process in phases, rather than submitting all sections of the application at once, which is the usual way. The company ran [ Phase 1 clinical trials] and reported [ preliminary data that it says supports the move] to a larger Phase 2 trial, which is currently ongoing. Phase 3 is reportedly slated for July. You can learn more about Moderna's vaccine candidate, [ mRNA-1273]. 

Another vaccine is under development at [ Oxford University] in the UK. Scientists there say that vaccine [ could be ready by the fall of 2020]. Oxford is working with pharmaceutical giant [ AstraZeneca]. Its vaccine candidate was slated to begin [ simultaneous Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials] in June.

Experts say recent surges in coronavirus cases aren't merely the result of the US doing more testing, as a higher percentage of those tested are coming up positive compared to earlier stages of the pandemic.

James Martin/CNET

Scientists say in a paper that [ the results from Oxford's trials] on mice and rhesus monkeys are [ mixed], however, speculating that humans who eventually take the vaccine [ might still be able to spread] the virus. You can read more about this effort, called [ ChAdOx1 nCoV-19], at AstraZeneca's website.
What is Operation Warp Speed?
This April, the White House began organizing [ Operation Warp Speed], according to Bloomberg, a sort of coronavirus vaccine task force that has identified [ 14 vaccine projects] that it will focus on fast-tracking. The "Warp Speed" project itself, [ which the White House acknowledged] during an April press briefing, has a stated goal of readying [ 300 million doses of vaccine] to be available by January 2021, which coincides with Fauci's estimation.

[ Talking to JAMA editor in chief Howard Bauchner in June], Fauci said [ Operation Warp Speed] is financially backing efforts to start manufacturing doses while clinical trials are still ongoing. That means, if and when those vaccines do get approved, there will already be a store of doses ready to distribute nationally.