COVID-19 vaccine could be 'available for everyone' by spring 2021: Harvard scientist
NEW YORK, United States — A vaccine to fight the COVID-19 epidemic could be available to all by spring 2021, American epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding told Rudaw on Friday.
Currently a Visiting Scientist in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health told Rudaw’s New York bureau chief Majeed Gly of progress in development of vaccines for the coronavirus, which has so far claimed the lives of over 600,000 people worldwide.
“We have seen a lot of progress of many vaccines, Moderna is just one of them. There is also the Oxford vaccine group that has been tested in Brazil. Just recently they announced that the Oxford vaccine has double properties for both increasing intrabodies as well as T-cell responses to the virus. With this double benefits, potentially, to fight with the virus will be very successful...there is over 120 vaccines being developed. I hope we will get some vaccine by the end of the year, at least for emergency workers,” Feigl-Ding told Gly.
Any successful vaccine would be rolled out in stages, Feigl-Ding said, with frontline health workers made its top priority.
“Initially, the availability of the vaccine will be very limited, just to healthcare workers and essential workers. Over time, it will be rolled out more and more, but this is why there is a lot of things in terms of will we find one that is fast enough to produce in billions of doses...we have to ramp up production once we have the successful vaccine. Hopefully by spring next year, we will have it available for everyone around the world.” He added.
While vaccines remain in the development stage, Feigl-Ding insisted on the use of face masks as a highly effective measure to prevent the virus' spread - particularly as lockdown and curfew measures continue to be rolled back.
“The mask works if 90- 95% of people wear it. We can stop the epidemic in two months and save trillions of dollars. It has to be that clear, if you want to live, wear the mask so your kids go back to school. The governors should also impose mandatory masks. We need people to take actions. Every second that passes the virus will win. We cannot wait until we know."
Currently a Visiting Scientist in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health told Rudaw’s New York bureau chief Majeed Gly of progress in development of vaccines for the coronavirus, which has so far claimed the lives of over 600,000 people worldwide.
“We have seen a lot of progress of many vaccines, Moderna is just one of them. There is also the Oxford vaccine group that has been tested in Brazil. Just recently they announced that the Oxford vaccine has double properties for both increasing intrabodies as well as T-cell responses to the virus. With this double benefits, potentially, to fight with the virus will be very successful...there is over 120 vaccines being developed. I hope we will get some vaccine by the end of the year, at least for emergency workers,” Feigl-Ding told Gly.
Any successful vaccine would be rolled out in stages, Feigl-Ding said, with frontline health workers made its top priority.
“Initially, the availability of the vaccine will be very limited, just to healthcare workers and essential workers. Over time, it will be rolled out more and more, but this is why there is a lot of things in terms of will we find one that is fast enough to produce in billions of doses...we have to ramp up production once we have the successful vaccine. Hopefully by spring next year, we will have it available for everyone around the world.” He added.
While vaccines remain in the development stage, Feigl-Ding insisted on the use of face masks as a highly effective measure to prevent the virus' spread - particularly as lockdown and curfew measures continue to be rolled back.
“The mask works if 90- 95% of people wear it. We can stop the epidemic in two months and save trillions of dollars. It has to be that clear, if you want to live, wear the mask so your kids go back to school. The governors should also impose mandatory masks. We need people to take actions. Every second that passes the virus will win. We cannot wait until we know."