Page 13 - Resurrection Magazine

prevent the spread of the disease as instructed by the World Health Organisation and health
workers are frequent hand washing and maintaining physical distance from others. Yes, we
the ones who belong to the human race which is called a “social animal” for the very first
time in history are supposed to distant ourselves from the society. This is the irony that the
COVID 19 has put as in. A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired
immunity to a particular infectious disease. Vaccine contains microorganism or virus in a
weakened, lived or killed state or proteins or toxins from the organism. The first disease
people tried to prevent inoculation was most likely small pox with the first recorded case
occurring in the 16th century in China. The small pox vaccine was invented in 1796 by an
English physician Edward Jenner. Researchers worldwide are working round the clock to
find a vaccine against the virus causing COVID 19, the global pandemic. A vaccine is also
being developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Institute of
Virology at Pune, and Bharat Biotech. So far ICMR has identified 12 sites for human trials
of vaccine. Covaxin will be tested on 375 people in the first phase and then 750 in the later
stages.

The number of COVID 19 cases in the world crossed the 14 million and more than six
lakh have lost their lives. The entire world is in a race to find the suitable vaccine to check
the spread of the virus. There are three phases for the vaccine test. In the first phase, where
the experimental vaccine is given to humans, usually 20-80 subjects to test safety and dosage
and check whether it stimulates the immune system. The phase II testing studies candidates’
vaccine safety, immunogenicity, proposed doses scheduled of immunisation and method of
delivery. In the phase III, the vaccine candidate is given to thousands of people. Here the
scientists check how many become infected compared with volunteers who receive placebo.
The last step is approval of the vaccine. The vaccine developer submits all license application
to the regulatory authority in their respective country. The regulator then inspect the factory
where the vaccine will be made and approves its labelling. The ICMR has targeted August 15
for the launch of COVID vaccine. The central drugs standard control organisation has given
approval for phase I and phase II. The COVID 19 virus is mutated day by day that adds to
the difficulty to find the vaccine. However let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that our
scientists would indeed be successful in bringing out a suitable vaccine against the virus
soon. Let’s hope that we shall sit and talk, walk together again hand in hand very soon, and
bid adios to the masks that hides the beautiful smile of humans and the virus that has brought
nothing but agonies everywhere.

RESURRECTION 13