Curious when a vaccine for COVID-19 will be ready? While vaccines tend to take years or even decades to be developed and properly tested, the novel coronavirus is giving us a glimpse into how quickly things can be achieved when the full might of humanity's scientific ingenuity is called into action. And a vaccine for COVID-19 might not be as far off as we think.
Ever since SARS-CoV-2 emerged from Wuhan people have been wondering when a vaccine for this new virus will be ready. Some were optimistic that by the end of 2020 we might have one good to go.
But as the last half year has progressed, such rosy initial predictions have begun to be replaced by more logical and fact-based estimates as potential vaccines make their way through clinical testing. With a few pharmaceutical heavyweights gearing up for their final studies of the promising vaccines they've developed, we may have one for COVID-19 in a relatively short amount of time.
Ichor Has You Covered
If you're looking for COVID-19 antibody testing in Calgary, Edmonton, or Toronto, Ichor Blood Services has you covered. We've recently begun accepting bookings for our COVID-19 serology antibody testing collection service. Your sample is then shipped to our laboratory testing partner, who will determine if you have potentially been exposed to the virus and now have the antibodies for it. For more information on our COVID-19 serology antibody testing collection service, click the button below.
So How Much Longer Till a Vaccine for COVID-19 is Ready?
The general consensus amongst most experts is that a vaccine for COVID-19 will most likely become widely available sometime around the halfway mark of 2021. Which would still be an amazing scientific accomplishment, seeing as SARS-CoV-2 will have only been around for about 18 months at that point.
As of right now the main contenders to achieve this would be AstraZeneca, Moderna Inc., and a joint effort between Pfizer and the German outfit BioNTech. AstraZeneca recently hit a roadblock with its vaccine trials as it paused them after one of its test subjects became ill. The illness is being investigated to determine whether it's related to the vaccine or not. AstraZeneca hasn't given any specifics on the nature of the illness, only saying it has to do with a "spinal problem".
WHAT WILL A SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19 LOOK LIKE?
What Needs to Happen Before a Vaccine for COVID-19 is Ready?
Much more has to be done before a widely available COVID-19 vaccine is ready for the masses. Some of the biggest roadblocks are understandably centred around ensuring the potential vaccines are safe and don't cause more issues than the virus itself as that would be self-defeating.
Other obstacles have to do with the sheer logistics involved with producing enough doses for the global population. Other things that need to be done before we have a vaccine for COVID-19 include:
- Immune responses to the virus must be proven to be provoked by the vaccine through clinical testing (this is what makes a vaccine protective against diseases)
- The vaccines must be approved by regulatory bodies
- Figuring out how to immunize most of the global population will have to be sorted out as that itself presents a massive logistical headache
WHY COVID-19 ANTIBODY TESTING IS IMPORTANT
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We are offering corporate or large group bookings and travel testing for COVID-19 antibody or active PCR test collection. For more information about our COVID-19 test collection services, please give us a call at 1-844-424-6728 or fill out our contact form.
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