2021 - THE YEAR OF VACCINATION

 

Last year – 2020 was the year of coronavirus spread. Due to the spread, millions of human beings died all over the world. People were helpless and afraid of the deadly virus. Everyone was cautious and protected themselves with face-masks, social distancing, and washing hands often. Still, the fear of infection is in the minds of people. We all know that every country in the world was affected. The Heads of States were after the biologists to find a solution. Since it is a virus the only way is to invent a vaccine and testing it at three levels to make sure that the vaccine is safe for mass vaccination.

Therefore many Pharma companies came forward to concentrate on finding a suitable vaccine. Some scientists said that it may take two to three years to bring out a vaccine that can be confirmed and used for vaccinating the world population. Few of the organizations proposed vaccines like Sputnik V (Russia), Oxford University AstraZeneca vaccine (UK), Pfizer BisNtech vaccine (USA), and Moderna vaccine (USA). These vaccines varied in their efficiencies from 79% to 90%. But the Pfizer BioNtech claimed 100% efficiency.

Moreover, to produce a suitable vaccine is not easy. The efficiency, the side effects, duration of effectiveness, storage temperature and shelf-life under various temperatures are some of the crucial factors to be worked out meticulously. Then only the World Health Organization (WHO) and other National Certifying Agencies will certify that these vaccines can be used on human beings. Vaccines are known for the eradication of smallpox, tetanus, and measles-like diseases. In fact, vaccines are a way of artificially activating the immune system to protect us against infectious diseases. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live, or killed state. They may also contain proteins or toxins from the organism. This minor doze teaches our immune system to recognize and fight specific germs so that when we are exposed to them, we are at a much lower risk of getting sick. Most vaccines are given by injection as they are not absorbed reliably through the intestines. Just like any medication or procedure, no vaccine can be 100% effective for everyone. This is because each person’s body reacts differently to vaccines.

In the 1800s, cowpox created a scare in the UK, many people lost their lives battling the deadly disease. It was then that the British physician Edward Jenner injected people with weakened cowpox virus (vaccine) to immunize them against smallpox. That was how the vaccine and vaccination came into practice.

The WHO estimates that vaccination prevents two to three million deaths every year. The development of vaccines is a complex procedure. Sometimes it takes 10 – 15 years. Now for the Covid-19, it has taken hardly a year! The human trials of vaccine take place in three phases. During the Phase I trials, a vaccine is tested in a group of about 20 people and see how it is safe? In Phase II, if the vaccine is safe in Phase I, the test is expanded to include 59 to several hundred people and evaluated for its effectiveness and the ideal dose. If Phase II proves to be successful it is taken to Phase III where it is tested in thousands of people. This phase normally can take several years to complete. If we need it urgently as in the case of Covid-19 vaccines, the vaccine may get the license.

Since the vaccine for Covid-19 was tested on volunteers who were eligible with 12–65 years-age it could be released within a year. There were many Indian volunteers in the UK offering them for the testing. It is a great thing there are very good souls who came forward to save humanity. The UK took the bold step to vaccinate an old British woman on 8 December 2020 and mass vaccination was on from this date. On 14 December 2020, the first vaccination was done on a New York nurse and Canada also initiated with Pfizer vaccine.

In India too thirty drug companies are trying to produce Covid-19 vaccines like Covaxine, ZyCO-D, Mynvax, etc. these vaccines are at different phases of testing. Hopefully, they will be also ready by the first quarter of 2021. So there are possibilities that a number of vaccines are on the line to save human beings in 2021. Therefore I call 2021 as the year of vaccination. Everything depends on the hard work of our biologists. There is no border for science. In fact, science works for the benefit of humans. - NARA