The world is looking for a drug and a vaccine to overcome the deadly virus. Many countries and many research groups are working feverishly to find an effective remedy. Fortunately, there have been some breakthroughs which give hope that the pandemic will ultimately be controlled.

H.S. Panaser

The novel coronavirus is rapidly spreading its fang globally and has already led to more than 2,58,344 deaths and 3.66 million positive cases. Yes, that is a huge number and will most likely continue to rise in the coming days. Even though the countries across the globe have closed their borders and continue to take stringent measures (including a complete lockdown) to contain the spread of this highly infectious virus, the flattening of the curve is yet to be seen.

In the United States, COVID-19 has caused more than 70,000 fatalities and the number of positive cases has touched almost 1.2 million. Italy, on the other hand, remains one of the worst-hit nations in the world with 2,13,013 positive cases.

The world is looking for a drug and a vaccine to overcome the deadly virus. Many countries and many research groups are working feverishly to find an effective remedy. Fortunately, there have been some breakthroughs which give hope that the pandemic will ultimately be controlled.

The ‘significant’ breakthrough of Israel

 Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett announced the country had a remarkable breakthrough in the development of COVID-19 vaccine. He said that Israel’s Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) has developed a monoclonal neutralizing antibody, which will effectively neutralize novel coronavirus in the body of the carriers. Bennet stated that Italian researchers have made a ‘significant breakthrough’ in developing an antibody to combat novel coronavirus. He was quoted as saying, “I am proud of the institute staff for this terrific breakthrough.”

 Italy claims to develop first COVID-19 vaccine

While multiple research groups are developing potential vaccines, Italian scientists have claimed to develop a vaccine that has successfully generated antibodies in mice that work on human cells. The vaccine has been tested in the Spallanzani Hospital  in Rome. It is said to be one of the most advanced stages of testing of a potential vaccine in the country as the vaccine neutralizes the SARS-CoV-2 in the human cells.

After a single vaccination, the mice developed antibodies that can block the virus from infecting human cells. The researchers selected the two best candidates after observing that the five vaccine candidates generated a large number of antibodies

The Oxford vaccine against COVID-19

Oxford University initiated a phase-1 human clinical trial of its vaccine on April 23, where two volunteers were injected and Elisa Granato is one of the first ones to get injected with the vaccine. The vaccine -ChAdOx1 nCoV-19- was developed under three months by the University’s Jenner Institute. It uses a weakened strain of common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees. For the vaccine to work, scientists have taken the genetic material of the novel coronavirus present on the surface of the virus and put it in the virus.

 The status of coronavirus vaccine in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed India’s status in developing a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, drug discovery, diagnosis, and testing on Tuesday. It was found that as of now more than 30 vaccines are in different stages of development while a few are ready to go to clinical trial stages. It is also important to note that the Pune-based Serum Institute of India is the world’s largest vaccine maker and India produces 60 per cent of the world’s vaccines.

(The author is Chair, Global Indian Trade and Cultural Council, Director, International Affairs, C3 Summit LLC, Director, Empire Holdings (Acquisitions & Mergers), President, Global Haryana Chamber of Commerce  Chair, India USA Super PAC. He can be reached at  +1- 732-266-2027)