Health

COVID-19 Vaccine: The Grand Elixir?

August 19, 2020

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There seems to be a lot of controversy and inference in regards to the critical time frame for research and development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Gauging news media reports, a large percentage of people are apprehensive and sceptical about the prospects of another vaccine, and yet on the other side of the coin, global industries and corporations are in desperate need of a ‘grand elixir' that will not only provide hope for an ailing economy but also redeem our sense of normalcy in our homes, at our schools and in the work force.

On August 11, 2020 Vladimir Putin, commonly brash in communication and demeanour, stated that Russia has developed a vaccine for COVID-19 which does not require Phase III clinical trial testing for efficacy and safety – to the outrage and choler of medical scientists around the world.

Putin’s reckless advancement in omitting preliminary testing on a hypothetical vaccine is an assault to the medical and scientific industries globally – not to mention placing an extraneous risk on Russian citizens.

Scientists are very concerned that Russia’s experimental vaccine could present an open door to the onset of other diseases as well as potentially cause harmful side effects.

“Until we can immunize Canadians on a national scale with an effective vaccine, developing or producing treatments for those who contract this virus is of critical importance. The right therapeutic technologies and drugs will save lives and limit the impacts of this pandemic,” says the COVID-19 Therapeutics Task Force.

Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada are working together, along with the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, to prepare for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines and related supplies.

flags of the world in the shape of COVID-19 genome

The Minister of Health, The Honourable Patty Hajdu stated, “Canada has flattened the curve, but COVID-19 remains dangerous without a vaccine. Over the last months, our government has been investing to fight this virus. We have been committing important funding toward research and preparedness to develop a vaccine and treatments.”

The Government of Canada has made agreements with Pfizer and Moderna, two biotechnology companies, to secure millions of COVID-19 vaccines.

A vaccine normally requires 10 to 15 years of laboratory research and development before it is available to the general public, unlike seasonal flu vaccines that are developed annually.

COVID-19 vaccine will not likely be available in Canada until mid/late 2021.