E-Paper
Covid-19 vaccine update: From CureVac candidate’s immune response in humans to unwilling Russians
South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare has announced a deal with Johnson & Johnson to manufacture its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, once approved. Meanwhile, a survey in Russia shows 59% of Russians are unwilling to be inoculated once a vaccine becomes available.
The global caseload of the coronavirus disease is hurtling towards 50 million, even as research and trials continue across the world to find a vaccine against Covid-19, which has claimed more than 1.2 million lives so far. As the world waits with bated breath for a Covid-19 vaccine, amid a wave of fresh cases in Europe, German biotech firm CureVac has claimed its vaccine candidate triggered an immune response in humans.
Click here for full Covid-19 coverage
Here are the latest updates in the worldwide search for a Covid-19 vaccine:
1. German biotech firm CureVac on Monday claimed its vaccine candidate triggered an immune response in humans, a development described by its CEO Franz-Werner Haas as “encouraging.” For its potential vaccine, CureVac is using the messenger RNA (mRNA) approach, the same as Moderna, as well as BioNtech and its partner Pfizer. The German firm has named its vaccine candidate ‘CVnCoV’ and plans to launch the final stage of testing, which will involve 30,000 participants, before the end of the year.
2. South African pharmaceutical firm Aspen Pharmacare has struck a deal with US firm Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to manufacture its Covid-19 vaccine if it is approved in the African country, as well as globally. In a statement, Aspen said the vaccine would be produced at its manufacturing facility in Port Elizabeth in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. The company also said its manufacturing facility can develop more than 300 million vaccine doses every year. J&J’s vaccine candidate -- Ad26.COV3-S -- is among four different vaccines currently undergoing trials in South Africa.
3. A survey in Russia shows an increasing number of Russians are unwilling to be inoculated against Covid-19 once a vaccine becomes available. The poll, conducted by the country’s only major independent pollster, the Levada Centre, said as of October 20, 59% Russians would decline a vaccine, up from 54% two months ago. Russia has claimed to have developed the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine, called Sputnik V, despite the fact the vaccine is still undergoing a late stage of trials.
(With agency inputs)
