To be updated.
By EDD K. USMAN
(SDN) — HUWAG sana mausog! (Hopefully, won’t be pre-empted)
Yes, a vaccine against Covid-19 in September 2020.
And, not to take the coronavirus pandemic lightly, after all it has infected over 3 million people worldwide, and killed more than 200,000 already, a vaccine soon to be available in September is like music to the ears.
Remember the song, “I’ll see you in September, when summer is gone.”
Oxford University in London, England, has been in the thick of research to find and developed a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. The deadly virus of the SARS family of pathogens swept through China likely as early as November 2019 experts believed, and continues to consume a scared world since it hit initially from its epicenter in Wuhan City, Hubei Province.
After the strain was identfied top scientists and researchers around the world went into overdrive to discover a cure for the novel coronavirus disease officially named Covid-19.
Dr. Gerry Amor Camer, a 2018 Presidential Lingkod Bayan Awardee and University Professor of the University of Eastern Philippines in Catarman, Northern Samar, spoke about the potential of the coronavirus vaccine being developed by Oxford scientists.
” All vaccines and drugs that benefit medical sciences must pass ANIMAL (emphasis supplied) Experimentation. And given that the Oxford Team of researchers have proven their developed vaccine to successfully demonstate absence of Covid-19 infection despite massive amount of the virus given as challenge dose to six monkeys is a sure hope of a ‘bright horizon’ that a vaccine is going to be available comes September 2020,” the Filipino scientist says.
“I cheer for Oxford because I know their excellent capability to lead in this Covid-19 vaccine race.”
Dr. Camer was speaking from experience. He was an Oxford University recipient of the Oxford Global Challenges Research Fund in 2018, among other top universities he’s been a part of in the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, etc.
His confidence over Oxford’s triumph in winning the race against Covid-19 was triggered, apparently, by an article in the Daily Express of the United Kingdom written by Laura Mowat published on April 11, 2020.
In the said article, Oxford Professor Dr. Sarah Gilbert was cited as saying, confidently, that a coronavirus vaccine could be available by September.
Dr. Gilbert further said the vaccine she was working on would be ready in just five months, which is ahead of schedule.
“It’s not just a hunch and as every week goes by we have more data to look at.
“I would go for 80 percent, that’s my personal view,” she says in Daily Express story titled, “Oxford Uni professor says coronavirus vaccine by SEPTEMBER — ahead of schedule,” she says. (emphasis supplid)
Her theme is just one of researchers and scientists groups racing worldwide to fine a cure for the viral disease.
Testing of the vaccine will be conducted in a country that does not have put in place a lockdown coupled with a plenty of virus transmission rate to get results immediately, she added.
She’s no stranger to vaccine research.
Dr. Gilbert has done vaccines in the past, including for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS, Nipah virus and Lassa fever.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the global tally of confirmed Covid-19 infections as of April 30 is now at 3,218,430 and fatalities at 228,625.
Not everything is a tale of grim and horror. Close to a million (over 900,000) have recovered from the deadly novel coronavirus global pandemic. (SDN)