When will the new coronavirus vaccine be available?

We all know that the new coronavirus is a relatively serious infectious virus recently. It is a new respiratory infectious disease. Many people have been infected and the number of infections is still increasing. So when will the new coronavirus vaccine be available? Let's take a closer look!

How long will it take to develop a new coronavirus vaccine?

On the evening of January 28, on CCTV's "News 1+1" program, Academician Li Lanjuan said that it would take at least more than a month to develop a new coronavirus vaccine. Industry insiders told 21st Century Health reporters that Academician Li was only referring to the stage of successful animal experiments at the scientific research level. The time window required to truly realize the advent of vaccines and commercial mass production is much longer than the eradication of the epidemic.

Research on antiviral drugs or vaccines, like the development of drugs for other diseases, requires a long time and high investment, and also faces a variety of expected and unexpected technical obstacles. Just as SARS has been over for 17 years, but we have not yet found reliable therapeutic drugs or preventive drugs or vaccines, but this cannot prevent it from becoming a "pearl" that scientists from all over the world are competing for.

Previously, both Russia and the United States announced that they would start research and development of new coronavirus vaccines.

Russia's Izvestia reported on the 22nd that the Russian Ministry of Health's Strategic Planning Center said it has begun developing a Russian vaccine against the new coronavirus. The development of experimental samples will take three months, and the entire vaccine development cycle may take at least six months, and it will require a lot of money. Russian scientists said this will be a priority project for the Russian health department because the future status of the virus is still unpredictable.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) also said it would begin developing a vaccine against the new coronavirus. CNN said the laboratory may start the first phase of clinical trials in a few months, and the vaccine will be available in a year.

Since the new coronavirus has some similarities with the SARS virus, some experts say that the development of a vaccine for the new coronavirus can also draw on the experience of SARS virus vaccine research. After the SARS outbreak in 2003, it took American scientists about 20 months to obtain the genome sequence of the SARS virus. About a month after the outbreak of the new pneumonia, China has completed the sequencing of the new coronavirus in collaboration with scientists from other countries, and successfully isolated a high-titer virus strain, which is of great significance for subsequent prevention and control work.

What stage has the development of the new coronavirus mRNA vaccine reached?

At present, we first cooperate with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to design antigens based on the genetic sequence of the new coronavirus. We are currently in the stage of verifying the results of animal experiments, and we are still waiting for the results of this verification to screen out effective antigens. Once the effective antigen is successfully verified, we can quickly produce pilot samples for further safety and effectiveness evaluation, and then submit an application for clinical approval. After review and approval by the National Medical Products Administration, it can be put into the human clinical trial stage.

According to our unique technology platform advantages, we can achieve large-scale production and preparation of mRNA vaccines within one month to 40 days, but this is only the production capacity. If a vaccine product wants to be marketed, it must also undergo strict safety and effectiveness evaluation and rigorous clinical trials. Our current goal is to complete preclinical verification work as quickly as possible, conduct safety and effectiveness experiments, and strive to enter the clinical trial stage as soon as possible.

mRNA vaccines synthesize mRNA that translates antigens in vitro, and then deliver it to the body to be translated into antigen proteins by cells in the body. Therefore, it is sufficient to synthesize RNA in vitro, and there is no need to synthesize proteins. Traditional vaccines have a long production cycle because they need to synthesize proteins, which often takes several months. For example, the production cycle of influenza vaccines is 5-6 months. The influenza vaccines launched in 2020 were produced in 2019, which requires at least half a year in advance. However, if a new generation of mRNA vaccines is used to produce influenza vaccines, it can be produced in 40 days, so that the influenza vaccines of that year can be used in that year.

How to prevent infection with coronavirus

1. Open windows for ventilation

You should open windows at home for a period of time every day to improve air circulation, which can effectively prevent respiratory infectious diseases.

2. Wearing a mask can effectively reduce the risk of infection

Avoid crowded places, and wear a mask when going out if necessary. Avoid closed, poorly ventilated public places and crowded places, especially children, the elderly, pregnant women and patients with underlying diseases.

3. Pay attention to personal hygiene

Wash your hands frequently, rub with soap and water for more than 20 seconds. If conditions do not permit, use hand sanitizer to clean your hands.

4. Seek medical attention promptly

If you experience symptoms of respiratory infection such as cough, chest tightness, fever, cough and shortness of breath, you should wear a mask and seek medical attention immediately.

Related News

The youngest confirmed patient in Anhui is only 8 months old

On January 29, the Anhui Provincial Health Commission released an epidemic report, reporting that three new cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus were confirmed in She County, one of which was an 8-month-old baby. Three new confirmed cases were reported on the 29th, and they were family members of Wang, Yan, and Wang, who were confirmed cases on the 28th.

Case 1: Luo Moumou, female, 58 years old, retired. Due to a history of close contact, she was admitted to She County People's Hospital for isolation and observation at 14:00 on January 26. She had no obvious symptoms upon admission, and a physical examination revealed abnormal lungs.

Case 2: Yan Moumou, female, 8 months old, child. Due to a history of close contact, she was admitted to She County People's Hospital for isolation and observation at 14:00 on January 26. Because the child was young and had no obvious symptoms upon admission, and considering the principle of benefiting patients and prevention and control requirements, chest imaging examination was not performed.

Case 3: Yan, male, 10 years old, student. Due to a history of close contact, he was admitted to She County People's Hospital for isolation and observation at 14:00 on January 26. He had no obvious symptoms upon admission, and a physical examination revealed abnormal lungs.

On January 27, 2020, samples from the three people were sent to the Huangshan City Center for Disease Control and Prevention for testing, and the test results were positive for the novel coronavirus nucleic acid on January 28. On January 28, the samples were sent to the Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention for re-examination, and the results were positive for the novel coronavirus nucleic acid, confirming that all three people had pneumonia infected by the novel coronavirus.

The above three people were all admitted to She County People's Hospital for inpatient isolation treatment at 14:00 on January 26, 2020.