Researchers all over the world are struggling to create a treatment or a vaccine for the COVID-19 pandemic. A global crisis that has claimed around 503 thousand lives worldwide has long threatened the health of countless people since its first outbreak in China. Now, however, hope gathers at the feet of China as China’s military receives the green light to use a new coronavirus vaccine.
The vaccine, Ad5-nCoV developed by CanSino Biologics alongside a military research unit in China underwent several clinical trials. The results showed that it was effective. The company confirmed this development on Monday and the vaccine is now a candidate for military usage as a coronavirus prevention shot.
The vaccine Ad5-nCov is one among some eight vaccines that china approves safe for human trials everywhere for the novel coronavirus, against the disease that targets the respiratory system. This vaccine was also approved in Canada through success in trials.
Currently, this new coronavirus vaccine has approval from China’s Central Military Commission for being in military use from June 25, for the time frame of one year. The vaccine came about under the joint developments of CanSino and a different research unit at the Academy of Military Science.
As coronavirus continues to spread quickly across the world, the need for a vaccine and an effective treatment is urgent. While researchers continue to produce developments in preventative, protective gear to limit transmission, a bigger need for the vaccine steals sleep from many. Developments like this vaccine might pave the way for future treatments against the lethal virus.
The company, CanSino explains that phase 1 and 2 of the clinical trials that the vaccine underwent shows effectiveness in preventing coronavirus diseases. While this is an exciting development the company does not guarantee its commercial success.
They say the Phase 3 in the testing trials for the vaccine is still pending. Phase 3 is the trial that makes sure the vaccine is a safe shot to give for the thousands of people for whom this vaccine may be available. It is an important step in testing the efficacy of a vaccine, without which it will not receive widespread approval.
U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers this phase 3 testing to be important if the vaccine is to be available for the masses.
The two organizations working on the new vaccine are basing the Ad5-nCov vaccine on their previous vaccine for Ebola. Their Ebola vaccine was available for widespread use in 2017 after the Chinese government approved of it. Hopes for the success of this new vaccine, therefore persist.
The result for phase 1 and 2 trials of this vaccine is published in the medical journal: The Lancet. The vaccine is also the first to begin clinical trials for coronavirus worldwide, therefore people expect the efficiency of the vaccine as it has been in works since March 16 of this year.
This vaccine however is not the only promising vaccine to come about. Two other China-based COVID-19 vaccine projects began human testing at the beginning of this year. One of the vaccines is developed by state-owned Wuhan Institute of Biological Products and the other one is based in Beijing from a biotech firm called Sinovac. These are promising developments given the severity of the pandemic.
While so far no vaccine has received approval for commercial use against COVID-19, a great number of vaccines are still testing for efficacy. There is a long way to go until people can finally be able to receive a shot against this novel virus. Only time will tell which new coronavirus vaccine will prove most effective.
