There are two other candidates that I know of with promising results; the ChAdOx vaccine out of Oxford, which I've got a work-in-progress to cover in a future edition, and the Pfizer mRNA vaccine that is very similar to what Moderna is working on.
The llama antibodies concept is something that at present I find impractical, but I could be wrong. Definitely a good thing to cover in a future issue as well. I think in reality it's going to depend heavily on whether convalescent plasma from humans (which is much more readily available!) turns out to be effective. This will help us understand better if antibody-based protection is a driver of real lasting immunity to this virus.
Good questions. I think I will touch on this on an in-depth item in a future issue. The short answer is, "this depends what you mean by 'soon.'" Moderna is looking to get Phase 3 results back by Thanksgiving. The Oxford University team is working on a similar Q4 schedule. But to get the vaccine to humans after that will take time too.
The level of shared community protection that we will need for safety is also a topic I hope to address in the future. You're right that it will take time. If we can make enough vaccine, maybe a few months. Right now, if everything goes right, it's possible by Q1/2 2021 we could have localities in the US that are well-covered with vaccine. But there are no guarantees!
Has there been any other news about promising vaccine trials other than Moderna's? What about these reports about Llama blood/antibodies?
There are two other candidates that I know of with promising results; the ChAdOx vaccine out of Oxford, which I've got a work-in-progress to cover in a future edition, and the Pfizer mRNA vaccine that is very similar to what Moderna is working on.
The llama antibodies concept is something that at present I find impractical, but I could be wrong. Definitely a good thing to cover in a future issue as well. I think in reality it's going to depend heavily on whether convalescent plasma from humans (which is much more readily available!) turns out to be effective. This will help us understand better if antibody-based protection is a driver of real lasting immunity to this virus.
ChAdOx has "Chad" in the name. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
I also don't appreciate your speciest position on Llamas.
I'm kidding, Internet. I'm kidding.
Very interesting. I'm curious about some of the other vaccine trials that are getting lots of coverage. Are we really going to have a vaccine soon?
And once we have a vaccine, how many people need to get it before we're safe(r)? It seems like getting enough people vaccinated will take a long time.
Good questions. I think I will touch on this on an in-depth item in a future issue. The short answer is, "this depends what you mean by 'soon.'" Moderna is looking to get Phase 3 results back by Thanksgiving. The Oxford University team is working on a similar Q4 schedule. But to get the vaccine to humans after that will take time too.
The level of shared community protection that we will need for safety is also a topic I hope to address in the future. You're right that it will take time. If we can make enough vaccine, maybe a few months. Right now, if everything goes right, it's possible by Q1/2 2021 we could have localities in the US that are well-covered with vaccine. But there are no guarantees!