With all the news that Russia has found the vaccine for COVID-19 and the bogus suggestions that COVID-19 can be cured by ingesting bleach or exposing oneself to UV rays, there is a lot of uncertain media coverage about the vaccine for COVID-19. However, finding a cure is not as easy as it may seem. The development of a vaccine is a lengthy process, as it takes time to develop and produce. When developing a vaccine, professionals face three main issues: mutations, effectiveness, and trials.
When researchers are developing a vaccine, they examine the shape of the virus. Viruses have enzymes to make their DNA, which can fit into certain areas called substitutes. This concept is called the lock and key. An enzyme is like a key, it can fit in certain areas where it permits. For COVID-19, it fits in substitutes in the lungs; that is why many symptoms are respiratory-based symptoms. How viruses’ enzymes work is when they fit a substitute and inhibit the actual enzyme from locking into the substitute, preventing essential proteins from being made, called poisoning. When an inhibitor locks in with a substitute instead of the enzyme created, it prevents proteins that are necessary for organs to function. However, when there is an enzyme that is flexible to fit into different substitutes, it makes it hard to pinpoint an exact cure that fits everyone.
Another problem is the vaccine’s effectiveness. Different people may respond differently to the virus, but overall will demonstrate the regular symptoms. Making a vaccine that will fit the needs of everyone is difficult. To calculate the dosage and concentration is essential for the researcher so the vaccine may effectively work. Additionally, to generate a vaccine, researchers must ensure that the vaccine is safe for both adults and children. Children under the age of two are more susceptible to the virus (Mayo Clinic, 2020). Younger children’s immune systems may not be as developed and experienced as adults or older children, making them extremely vulnerable.
Finally, researchers must test a variety of people to collect data to determine its effectiveness. Testing individuals from different countries, individuals with different diseases, and testing individuals in different families is important to randomize the test group. Randomizing the people who are testing widens the range of data and shows the level of effectiveness of the virus. This is the “longest and unpredictable stage” as it determines the dosage, safety, immune response, and long-term effects (Kwarlter, 2020). Finding a vaccine may take more than ten years, so producing a vaccine that is safe and effective within a year is unlikely. It is possible to produce a vaccine if researchers from all over the world collaborate and communicate to make it faster and more efficient.
Works Cited
Kwartler, Dan. How Fast Can a Vaccine Be Made? Ted-Ed, 2020, ed.ted.com/lessons/how-fast-can-a-vaccine-be-made-dan-kwartler.
Mayo Clinic. “How COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Affects Babies and Children.” Mayo Clinic,
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 14 Aug. 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-in-babies-and -children/art-20484405.
Meissner, H. Cody. “Ask the Expert: Why Is Vaccine Development against COVID-19 Disease so Difficult?” American Academy of Pediatrics, 19 Aug. 2020, www.aappublications.org/news/2020/06/17/covid19vaccines061720.
Written by Serena To
Edited by Rachel Glantzberg
Graphics by Samantha Gu
Group advised by Ruhi Sahu
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