The coronavirus epidemic continues wreaking havoc worldwide. Many scientists around the world are engaged in developing a potential vaccine for COVID-19 as soon as possible. However, medical experts are also worried about this haste. People hope that the vaccine will eliminate the need of masks and social distancing and they will be able to live life as before.
Experts warn that developing the vaccine early may cause more harm than good. In 1955, the Polio vaccine was developed in haste, but it did not yield any good results. During that time, over 70,000 children were hit by polio due to the malfunction in the manufacture of vaccine, while 10 children were killed too.
Experts are also worried about the vaccine's expectation to be effective. No vaccine cures 100% of the patient's illness, as with the flu vaccine, people who have been given the vaccine may not recover fully. According to experts, even a 50% effective vaccine can be accepted to prevent serious diseases.
It is not enough to know whether this antibody causes a response in suspicious people or that there is no side effect in hundreds of volunteers. Doctors cannot say whether it is safe or effective until the vaccine is tested on millions of people. This long process may take many years to complete. However, this situation is not common, so trials of the corona vaccine took months.
Firstly, scientists test vaccines on lab animals, which usually suffer from COVID-19 to see if it prevents the disease from happening. This process is known as "proof of concept", in which it is known whether the vaccine can work. Then in Phase 1 and 2 trials, there are probably 100 to 1000 humans participate. In this Phase, researchers look for evidence of whether the vaccine is safe.
Then comes big test phase 3. In these trials, the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine is tested on millions of people. The Phase 3 trial includes about 20 thousand people. These trials will be carried out in potential hotspot areas. It may also take many months and years to find out how well this vaccine is preventing disease.
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