Corona virus: How will the world's seven billion people be vaccinated?

 

Various teams around the world are working to develop effective vaccines against COD-19. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has called it "the most important common struggle of our lives."

The center of this effort in the UK is the Harwell Science Campus at Oxfordshire's former Royal Air Force Air Base. It will be the UK's Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Center (VMIC), which is being hastened by Code 19.

"We've really cut the timeline in half," says Matthew Dutchers, VMIC's chief executive. So while we expect it to be ready by the end of 2022, we expect it to be online by 2021. "

The Duchess has not yet taken a summer vacation because they know the Oxford University vaccine may soon be available in the area. He is in constant contact with the team at the Jenner Center in Oxford.

"It is very important to make such vaccines quickly and efficiently, not only for our country but also for the whole world." You can spend hours preparing a perfect cake and now you have to go out and make seven billion and they all have to be perfect, so that's a big challenge. ' Has gained so much temporary space that it can now begin developing vaccines, even before the results of its global trials. The International Vaccine Alliance (IVA) is urging countries around the world to start thinking about vaccine distribution now.

Human trials of the vaccine have begun in South Africa

But international cooperation is not easy, as many rich countries are negotiating with pharmaceutical companies that even if the magic formula is found, they will already be able to get the supply they need. Kiwi chief executive officer Seth Berkeley says one of the biggest obstacles he faces is "vaccine nationalism".

"I think all countries should think about it globally, not just because it's the right thing to do, but also because it's a matter of interest," he said.

"If the virus is present in large numbers in the countries around you, you will not be able to return to business, travel, and movement as usual. It is important to keep in mind that we will not be safe until everyone is safe. "

In addition to trying to get the right amount of vaccine available to developing countries, Seth Berkeley has to keep an eye on the uninteresting aspects of the vaccine, such as whether there are so many small bottles in the world that contain the vaccine. can go. There are also reports that there are potential barriers to the production of glass for medical use. "We were worried about it, so we've already bought bottles for two billion doses, and that's the dose we're hoping to get ready by the end of 2021," says Berkeley. "If glassware is a potential problem, refrigerators are a big problem, too, because vaccines often have to be kept at a lower temperature," said Toby Peters, a professor of cold chain logistics at the University of Birmingham, who is helping organizations like Gavy. How they can enhance the cooling capacity of existing things in developing countries. "It's not just a vaccine fridge, it usually has a lot of other components: it also has beds that carry them on board, even the vehicles that take them to local stores," he says. And then the motorbikes and the people who take them to other people. They all have to work without interruption. "

Lots of small glass bottles and lots of refrigerators to keep them cool

Professor Peters is in touch with global food and beverage companies to see if they can borrow cold chain storage to help with this gigantic project. To make the vaccine rollout manageable, countries around the world will have to decide what their population preferences are.

Dr. Charlie Wheeler is the head of the UK's Wellcome Trust. He says countries will have to answer some difficult questions. Who needs this vaccine? Which are the most at-risk groups? And who has the highest priorities? Because what is clear is that the demand for the initial vaccine will exceed the supply, so it must be decided in advance. In fact, vaccination will not be so easy.

The UK, for example, is considering a system that would use a network of polling stations to reach the entire population. But in poorer countries, it will be even more difficult.

Dr. Wheeler says a strong health system is important, which will include health care workers who have the appropriate technical skills to immunize target groups.

All scientists believe that some kind of vaccine will be found. But many of them say they have lost sleep over the night thinking about how much work is needed to reach billions of people.