IS THERE ALREADY AN AVAILABLE VACCINE AGAINST COVID-19?

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Currently, laboratories are working on more than 140 vaccines. The outcome is completely uncertain. Could it even be that in the end we will have to be vaccinated every few months?

There is talk in the social media about genetic manipulation, about the fact that our genetic material is to be altered, even manipulated, as a result of the vaccination. What is meant are the so-called RNA and DNA vaccinations, which are supported by huge pharmaceutical companies and also by US billionaire Bill Gates. “These vaccines certainly do not alter our genetic material. Rather, it is possible to build up an effective defence”, the vaccination lecturer at MedUni Vienna Ursula Wiedermann-Schmidt SAID

The fact that so many people believe that our genes are being manipulated is simply due to the fact that genes do play a role in this form of vaccination: RNA/DNA vaccinations contain genes of the virus in the form of messenger RNA or DNA. After an injection in the body, viral proteins are formed, which then build up the immune protection, just like in a conventional vaccine. “We are our own production facility for the vaccine,” explains Wiedermann-Schmidt. This is a method that is new in the fight against infections, but has been used in cancer therapy for a long time.

In fact, never before have there been so many different strategies for finding a vaccine. Some are brand new, others date back decades.

There are currently at least eight types of vaccines being developed against the coronavirus; they contain different viruses or parts of them. Apart from RNA/DNA vaccines, research is also being done on “dead vaccines with viral proteins” and “live vaccines with vector viruses”: The problem is that they require extensive safety tests, which usually take four to six years. However, there is no time for such tests, which is why RNA/DNA vaccines are regarded as the greatest favourites.

A Covid vaccine could therefore be on the market four times faster than current vaccines. There are many reasons for this: knowledge from existing RNA/DNA vaccines is used, clinical trials are being carried out on more test persons and the authorities are also working faster in view of the urgency. Admittedly, this sounds impressive, but caution is required.

There are no long-term studies, and how the vaccine will be absorbed by our immune system remains to be seen. Critics, including renowned physicians, warn of possible allergic reactions or even autoimmune secondary diseases. “Progress is never without risk. But I believe that this will be very small once the vaccines have been approved”, says Markus Zeitlinger, Head of the University Clinic for Clinical Pharmacology at MedUni Vienna. He leaves no doubt about the benefits of a vaccination and wants to have his children vaccinated against Sars-CoV-2 as soon as possible. “If we are among the first to be vaccinated, that’s fine with me.”

The race against time has long since begun, the number of new infections is increasing rapidly globally. Besides America, China or Brazil, many European countries are not spared. Even Austria has recently recorded a significant increase in the number of cases, which shows the urgency of containing the pandemic and once again raises the question: How soon can we even expect to be vaccinated?

This question is by no means easy to answer. Scientists from around the world have been feverishly searching for months for ways to contain Covid-19. Currently, laboratories are working on more than 140 vaccines, of which almost a dozen are in advanced, i.e. clinical, phase.

Against this background, the WHO has recently expressed the hope that one or two vaccines should be available before the end of the year. In order to accelerate the development of vaccines, the EU wants to invest even more money – we are talking about another six billion euros – in preliminary contracts with pharmaceutical manufacturers.

But it’s not that simple. Even when vast sums of money are buttered into research. Looking at the long history of drug research, it quickly becomes clear that the risk of failure is enormous. Vaccines are extremely complex products that take years to develop and would have to be extensively tested for their safety. Imagine a vaccination coming onto the market, to which many people react with severe or even highly damaging side effects. The consequences would sometimes be worse than the virus itself and a catastrophe for the vaccinated people. Most experts therefore expect at least another 12 to 18 months of research – which would be very fast anyway.

One question in particular will keep us busy in the coming months or even years: The duration of the vaccination. “Is it only three months? Or is it much longer? Nobody knows that at the moment,” says Zeitlinger. According to HIM, it is quite possible that the vaccination will be rather short, which means that further injections will be necessary at short intervals to refresh the vaccine. A comparison: children are vaccinated twice against mumps measles rubella. The basic vaccination against tick-borne measles is given three times, after which it is refreshed every few years. Also a vaccination against corona should not be done once.

But considering the rapid mutation, does a vaccination against Covid-19 make any sense at all? “There are a lot of rumours going around. One such rumour is that the virus is mutating rapidly. “And we know..: It certainly does not mutate in such a way that vaccination would be pointless,” says Zeitlinger. So now we have to wait and see and hope that the vaccine delivers what we are promised. And that it could be produced in sufficient quantities.