Here's All You Need To Know About The COVID-19 Vaccine Status From India And Around The World

More than 150 coronavirus vaccines are in development across the world¡ªand hopes are high to bring one to market in record time to ease the global crisis. Several efforts are underway to help make that possible, including the US government¡¯s Operation Warp Speed initiative, which has pledged $10 billion and aims to develop and deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by January 2021.

Reuters

The World Health Organization (WHO) is also coordinating global efforts to develop a vaccine, with an eye toward delivering two billion doses by the end of 2021. It can typically take 10-15 years to bring a vaccine to the market, following a three-stage clinical trial process. During the process, vaccine is sent to regulatory agencies for approval which can be a lengthy process in itself.

Though it¡¯s too soon to say which candidates will ultimately be successful, here¡¯s a look at the prospects that have reached phase three and beyond¡ªincluding a quick primer on how they work and where they stand.

Reuters

Pfizer

As per reports, volunteers of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, which recently showed the efficacy of 90 per cent, reported ¡°severe¡± hangover, headache, fever, and muscle ache after inoculation. The side effects appeared after the volunteers took the first shot of the vaccine. 94 confirmed COVID-19 infections were spotted in the trial of 43,538 participants. Looking at the case split between people who got the vaccine versus people who got the placebo revealed the efficacy rate of the vaccine to be over 90 percent. Pfizer has signed a nearly $2 billion contract with the U.S. government to provide 100 million doses by December 2020¡ªan agreement that goes into effect when and if the drug is approved and delivered¡ªand hopes to supply 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.

MIT

Pfizer India, in a statement, has said they are in talks with India to supply the vaccine. However, it hasn¡¯t yet announced its plans to make this vaccine available in India. The vaccine also requires specialised cold storage; it has to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius, which could be a potential bottleneck in India for mass rollout, reiterated AIIMS director on Wednesday.

Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN

On October 23, Bharat Biotech announced it has received approval to start phase three trials in 26,000 participants at more than 25 centers across India. Phase 3 trials of the vaccine named, COVAXIN, began on Wednesday with AMU Vice Chancellor being its first volunteer. COVAXIN will most probably be cleared for public use in the early months of 2021, according to a leading doctor from AIIMS, New Delhi.

A COVID-19 Human Immunoglobulin for Intravenous Injection from China National Biotec Group (CNBG) (Image: Reuters)

Johnson & Johnson

On September 23, Johnson & Johnson announced the launch of a phase three ENSEMBLE trial to evaluate the safety of the vaccine¡ªand how well it works¡ªamong up to 60,000 adults from a variety of countries. On October 12, Johnson & Johnson announced that it has paused these trials for an independent safety review due to an unexplained illness in a participant. On October 23, the company announced it will resume trials. A week later, on October 28, J&J got a nod for trials in India.

Johnson & Johnson¡¯s first batches of its COVID-19 vaccine could be available for emergency use as soon as January, Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, the company¡¯s head of public health research and development, said in a presentation at the World Health Summit.

Oxford's AstraZeneca

The UK university is in collaboration with the biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Currently, it is in phase three of clinical trials, aiming to recruit up to 50,000 volunteers in Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa. Currently in its final-stage, if trial data show AstraZeneca's candidate gives effective protection from the virus, the Serum Institute of India -- which is partnered to produce at least one billion doses -- may get emergency authorization from New Delhi by December, said Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of the family-owned firm based in Pune.

On September 8, AstraZeneca paused the trials for a safety review due to an adverse reaction in one participant in the UK. However, after an investigation by independent regulators, the trials resumed in the UK, Brazil, South Africa, and India in September and resumed in the US a month later.

Reuters

Earlier this week, AstraZeneca announced that it was holding back deliveries of its Covid-19 vaccine which seems to have made India shift its focus to its indigenous coronavirus vaccine.

Sputnik V

Russia's National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced that the Sputnik V vaccine, the world's first registered vaccine against coronavirus created on the well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors, demonstrated high efficacy.

Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine

Currently, Sputnik V Phase 3 clinical trials are approved and are undergoing in Belarus, the UAE, Venezuela and other countries, as well as Phase 2 and 3 in India. The clinical trials are to be conducted in India soon, to understand the safety and efficacy of the virus. The RDIF has said vaccine deliveries to India could begin in late 2020, but suggested it could take longer.