Updates on Covid 19 vaccine trials are “encouraging” but results may take time, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO’s statement on Covid 19 vaccine trials comes after AstraZeneca’s announcement that its experimental vaccine against the coronavirus produced a similar immune response in older and younger adults.
Working with the University of Oxford, AstraZeneca explained that adverse responses to its potential coronavirus vaccine among the elderly were identified to be lower.
The British pharmaceutical giant’s announcement improved expectations that a vaccine could be released before the end of the year, potentially helping to address the coronavirus pandemic that has already killed over 1.16 million lives.
When asked about the update from AstraZeneca, a WHO spokesperson said: “The immune system in older people is less robust in its response to COVID-19, and we hope that the future vaccine(s) against COVID-19 will be safe, effective and efficacious also in this high-risk population group with high mortality rates.”
“While the information coming from the vaccine developers is encouraging, WHO has not yet seen published data on the efficacy of a vaccine candidate in the elderly,” the spokesperson wrote via email on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the WHO said that older people, along with people of all ages with preexisting medical issues, could be developing serious illness by contracting the virus that causes Covid-19 more often than others.
“Documenting the safety and efficacy of a vaccine that would be made widely available is critical — full data and longer follow-up to gather the evidence is required to make an informed decision,” the WHO spokesperson explained.
“It is going to take time before we have a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine — in any population group — and even longer before it is available to a large number of people,” they said. “That is why it is important to continue using public health tools and measures that we know are effective in preventing the infection and breaking the chain of transmission.”
According to the WHO, more than 100 potential vaccines are under development, with a number of those already holding late-stage tests before getting formal approval.
The United Nations health agency pointed out that it is working in collaboration with businesses, scientists, and global health organizations to accelerate the pandemic response.
It also promised to manage the distribution of any safe and effective vaccines to people in all countries, with the most vulnerable as the priority.
Vaccine safety
In September, health officials assured the public of coronavirus vaccine safety.
“People are always saying, ’How do I know it’s safe? How do I know it’s effective? There’s a lot of confusion because there are mixed messages that are coming,” Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a Facebook Live conversation with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
Health authorities reiterated that coronavirus vaccine safety is ensured through rigorous clinical trials to pass the federal government’s authorization amid concerns about the impact of politics on the process.
Dr. Fauci experienced that vaccine trials always involve an independent group of scientists, ethicists, vaccinologists, and statisticians. This group is known as a data and safety monitoring board (DSMB).
The DSMB tells the pharmaceutical company when its vaccine has been proven effective or safe or if trial participants manifest adverse reactions, according to Dr. Fauci.
