Volunteers still needed to test a variety of COVID-19 vaccines
Washington: Two COVID-19 vaccines might be nearing the finish line, but scientists caution it's critical that enough people volunteer to help finish studying other candidates in the US and around the world.
Moderna Inc and competitor Pfizer Inc recently announced preliminary results showing their vaccines appear more than 90% effective, at least for short-term protection against COVID-19.
If those early results hold up and US regulators agree the shots are safe, emergency use of small, rationed supplies could start in late December. Other countries with contracts for early doses would undertake their own reviews.
But multiple vaccines will be needed to meet global demand and help end the pandemic, raising concern that studies that still need to sign up thousands of volunteers could run short if people wait for an already OK'd option instead.
We don't want to see that happen, said Dr. James Cutrell, an infectious disease expert at UT Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas.
Supplies aside, other COVID-19 vaccines under development may work differently in different populations, and "we likely will benefit from having a menu of vaccine options, Cutrell said.
We still need volunteers, stressed National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, urging Americans to sign up.
Additionally, participants in the Moderna and Pfizer studies who originally got dummy shots would almost certainly be offered the real vaccine if the US Food and Drug Administration allows emergency use. But no one knows how long protection would last, meaning those studies also must continue to track recipients somehow.
It's one thing to be effective two months after your last vaccination and another thing to be effective a year later said Dr. Jesse Goodman of Georgetown University, a former director of the FDA's vaccine division. It's going to be really important to complete these clinical trials and the trials of the other vaccines so we can make comparisons.
The promising Moderna and Pfizer news bode well for some of their competitors, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious disease expert whose team at NIH helped develop the Moderna candidate.
Those shots target the spike protein that studs the surface of the coronavirus, and the early results prove that's enough to generate a protective response, Fauci said. Conceptually this looks good for other spike-focused vaccines made in different ways.
Here's a scorecard of the frontrunners in the global vaccine race:
GENETIC CODE VACCINES
The Moderna-NIH vaccine and the candidate developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech aren't made with the coronavirus itself, meaning there's no chance anyone could catch it from the shots.
Instead, the vaccines are made with a brand-new technology that injects a piece of genetic code for the spike protein. That messenger RNA, or mRNA, instructs the body to make some harmless spike protein, enough to prime the immune system to react if it later encounters the real virus.
There are no licensed mRNA vaccines for people, so scientists had no idea if or how well the COVID-19 candidates might work.
Both manufacturers are working to scale up production in factories in the US and Europe. They can't simply partner with other vaccine companies to take on some of the work because the technology is so different than the way most of today's shots are made.
It is not a very easy or quick swap, said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel.
TROJAN HORSE VACCINES
A different way to target the spike protein: Use another, harmless virus to carry the spike gene into the body. Once again, the body produces some spike protein and primes the immune system.
Britain's Oxford University and AstraZeneca are making their version of this viral vector vaccine with a cold virus, or adenovirus, that normally infects chimpanzees. Studies of tens of thousands of people are underway in the UK, US, and several other countries.
Johnson & Johnson is using a human adenovirus for its version and is the only option in advanced US testing aiming to show if a single dose rather than two would be enough.
China's government authorized the emergency use of CanSino Biologics' adenovirus shots in the military ahead of any final testing. Russia likewise began offering an adenovirus vaccine ahead of late-stage tests.
PROTEIN VACCINES
Novavax makes its vaccine candidate by growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory and packaging them into virus-sized nanoparticles.
There are protein-based vaccines against other diseases, so it's not as novel technology as some of its competitors. Novavax has begun a large final-stage study in Britain and is set soon to begin another in the US.
KILLED VACCINES
Spike-focused vaccines aren't the only option. Making vaccines by growing a disease-causing virus and then killing it is a tried-and-true approach it's the way Jonas Salk's famed polio shots were made.
China has three so-called inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidates in final testing in several countries and has allowed emergency use in some people ahead of the results. An Indian company is testing its own inactivated candidate.
Safely brewing and then killing the virus takes longer than newer technologies. But inactivated vaccines give the body a sneak peek at the germ itself rather than just that single spike protein.
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West Asia crisis: India flags energy supply concerns; PM speaks to leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Qatar
New Delhi (PTI): As the conflict in West Asia widened, India on Tuesday emphasised the interest of one crore Indian nationals in the region and voiced concern over consequences for the Indian economy due to possible disruptions in energy supplies, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the evolving situation with leaders of Oman, Kuwait and Qatar.
In its second statement since the US-Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran's subsequent retaliation, India once again called for "dialogue and diplomacy" to end the conflict, noting that New Delhi has critical stakes in the security and stability of West Asia and the current developments "evoke great anxiety".
New Delhi said it will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and take relevant decisions in the national interest, adding it is in touch with the governments in the region as well as other key partners.
"In recent days, we have not only witnessed an intensification of the conflict but also its spread to other nations. The destruction and deaths have mounted, even as normal life and economic activities come to a halt," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
"As a proximate neighbour with critical stakes in the security and stability of the region, these developments evoke great anxiety."
The ministry said almost one crore Indian citizens are living in West Asia, and their safety and well-being are of "utmost priority" for New Delhi. "We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them," it said.
The conflict in West Asia intensified with Iran continuing to pound several Gulf countries in retaliation for the joint attack against it by Israel and the US. The US and Israel have also carried out fresh strikes on Iran.
As part of its offensive, Iran has blocked the strategically located Strait of Hormuz shipping route, triggering a surge in global oil prices.
"Our trade and energy supply chains also traverse this geography. Any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy," the ministry said.
The Strait of Hormuz handles nearly 20 per cent of the world's total oil and gas supplies. About 50 per cent of India's oil imports, or roughly 2.6 million barrels a day, pass through the Strait.
Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The Iranian retaliation increased after Tehran announced early Sunday that its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in the Israel-US strike.
"As a country whose nationals are prominent in the global workforce, India is also firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping. Already, some Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of such attacks in the last few days," it said.
"In this background, India strongly reiterates its call for dialogue and diplomacy. We raise our voice clearly in favour of an early end to the conflict. Already, many lives have been regrettably lost, and we express our grief in that regard," it added.
It is learnt that at least three Indian nationals were killed in Iranian attacks on two merchant vessels in the waters off Oman.
The statement by the MEA, however, was silent on the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei.
The ministry said Indian embassies and consulates in the affected countries remain in close touch with Indian nationals and community organisations, issuing regular advisories.
"They have also extended all possible help to those stranded by the conflict. The embassies and consulates will continue to be proactive in addressing various consular aspects of this conflict," it said.
"We are in touch with the governments of this region as well as other key partners. The prime minister and external affairs minister have held discussions with their counterparts," it added.
Following his phone conversation with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, PM Modi said India stands "firmly" in solidarity with the Gulf nation and strongly condemns any violation of its "sovereignty and territorial integrity".
"We emphasised the urgent need to restore peace and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy. I also conveyed my appreciation for his continued support and care for the Indian community in Qatar during this challenging time," he said.
The prime minister described his phone conversation with the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, as "productive" and conveyed to him that India condemns the violation of Kuwait's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"We underscored the significance of dialogue and diplomacy in restoring regional peace and stability. Appreciated the Kuwaiti leadership's continued support to ensure the safety and well-being of the Indian community in Kuwait," Modi said on social media.
In his phone conversation with Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Modi "deeply appreciated" Oman's continued support for the Indian community.
"Condemned the violation of Oman's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
We agreed that sustained diplomatic engagement is essential for the earliest restoration of regional peace and stability," the prime minister said.
India issued the first statement on February 28, hours after the US and Israel launched the military offensives against Iran.
"We had expressed our deep concern at the cankar spoke to the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and discussed the situation in West Asia. Our discussions focused on the ongoing conflict in Iran and the Gulf," Jaishankar said on X.
The US military has said six of its personnel were killed in the conflict so far. The US-Israeli strikes have killed at least 787 people, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said. According to reports, at least 11 people were killed in Israel.
In a related development, the Indian embassy in Iran has relocated most Indian students from Tehran.
"Due to the heightened risk perception in Tehran city, the Embassy of India has relocated most Indian students who were in Tehran," the Indian mission said.
The students were taken to locations outside of Tehran. The embassy arranged transportation, food and accommodation for the students.
