Coronavirus Vaccine Nearing Completion as Trial Stages Advance, Experts Say

By Bodile van Oort

“A researcher looks in an optical microscope to save the world.” Photo by @younis67 on Unsplash.

AUSTIN – The world anxiously awaits the finalization and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. It is expected to be available to the public in the upcoming months of October and November 2020.

The two vaccines, by Moderna and Pfizer, are in phase three trials — the final step before release, said Brenda Martin, 60.

According to Martin, the Pfizer study has tested 40,000 people of all ages and is in the final step testing 10,000 people belonging to minority groups before the vaccine can be considered safe for use by the public.

CNBC states that as of Aug. 31, 25% of Pfizer’s U.S. participants were Asian, Black, Hispanic/LatinX or Native American.

Authors Carl Zimmer and Katie Thomas reported on the matter in their article, “What we Know about the C.D.C’s COVID-19 Vaccine Plans” in the New York Times. It explains the two vaccines have gone through phases one and two, and then successfully advanced to phase three which is currently ongoing.

Martin and 45-year-old Kim Newton, participants of the Pfizer study, said all participants are tested for COVID-19 and antibodies before receiving the injection. After the first visit, they must come back three weeks later and receive a second booster shot and will be monitored for antibodies over the course of the next two years.

Martin said getting a vaccine released is on the top of her wish list. Martin said she has experienced minimal symptoms after being injected but does not know if she was given either a vaccine or a placebo considering it was a double-blind study.

When a phase three vaccine has been confirmed to be 50% effective, “the first 100 million vaccines will go to essential workers and by the end of next year there should be enough vaccines for everyone,” Martin said.

A “double-blind” study is one in which even the doctors do not know what the participants are being injected with until after the trial is completed, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

“Transparent flask with liquid inside and a 2019-NCOV label taped on it.” Photo by Vincent Ghilione on Unsplash.

Kim Newton, 45, another participant, did experience symptoms such as high temperatures, nausea, vomiting, and back pain after the first and second doses of the vaccine trials. This led her to believe she received a vaccine — and she feels safer going out because of it.

The vaccine trials will continue even after distribution to make sure antibodies were formed and stay active within the blood. If not, Martin said there may be a need for multiple vaccine injections to continue building antibodies.

Author Carolyn Johnson’s article, “A Coronavirus Vaccine Won’t Change the World Right Away” published in The Washington Post, is not so sure about the vaccine’s transformation abilities. Johnson discussed how “the vaccine may still not make it possible to go back to pre-pandemic times.”

Zimmer and Thomas explain that for a vaccine to do its job the antibodies must remain in your system until the next dose. Researchers are trying to find out the length of time a volunteer has before needing a second booster.

This is a particularly difficult task considering the Pfizer vaccine must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius to work, according to The Wall Street Journal. This causes a challenge with storage, shipment and distribution.

“(T)his historic image depicts Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Clinic Chief Nurse, Lee Ann Jean-Louis, extracting a dose of Influenza Virus Vaccine, Fluzone® from a 5 ml. vial.” Photo by @CDC on Unsplash.

Johnson said she worries if less than 66% of the world population gets vaccinated, we will not achieve herd immunity, where a majority of the population becomes immune in turn slowing the disease’s spread and eventually eradicates it all together.

This could take years to achieve, but scientists are hopeful and believe to be on the right track.

Johnson said, “The world will become safer, bit by bit, but not all at once.”