Coronavirus cases are surging. States are considering shutting down. Hospitals are being overwhelmed. Schools across the country are considering virtual learning for the fall.
Fortunately, we may be nearing a vaccine.
For example, a potential vaccine from AstraZeneca (AZN) and Oxford University just cleared initial human safety tests. In fact, according to research published in The Lancet, the vaccine proved safe and produced two different immune responses to the virus.
“There is still much work to be done before we can confirm if our vaccine will help manage the COVID-19 pandemic, but these early results hold promise,” Sarah Gilbert, the Oxford professor leading the research on the vaccine, said as quoted by Business Insider.
However, AZN isn’t the only one showing big progress.
BioNTech (BNTX) and Pfizer (PFE)
Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX) data said their vaccine was safe and induced an immune response in patients.
“The vaccine elicited high, dose level-dependent SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing titers and RBD-binding IgG concentrations after the second dose. Day 43 SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing geometric mean titers were in the range of 0.7-fold (1 µg) to 3.2-fold (50 µg) compared to that of a panel of SARS-CoV-2 infection convalescent human sera,” said a BioNTech release.
“Furthermore, sera of vaccinated subjects displayed broadly neutralizing activity in pseudovirus neutralization assays across a panel of sixteen SARS-CoV-2 RBD variants represented in publicly available SARS-CoV-2 sequences and against the newly dominant D614G strain,” it added.
Plus, the UK just announced deals to secure 90 million doses of two potential vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech already. “This new partnership with some of the world’s foremost pharmaceutical and vaccine companies will ensure the UK has the best chance possible of securing a vaccine that protects those most at risk,” business minister Alok Sharma said, as quoted by Reuters.
The post AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Big Promise appeared first on Morningology.
