A cautious step forward. There are now three vaccines on the table which promise to combat the coronavirus. Full marks to the medical profession for bringing them out in near record time. Governments are already talking about mass vaccinations and there is cause for optimism. British drug-maker AstraZeneca said yesterday its vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be around 90% effective without any serious side effects, giving the world another important tool to halt the COVID-19 pandemic.
Phase III trial results of the vaccine developed by Oxford University found it was 90% effective if administered at a half dose and then at a full dose, or 62% effective if administered in two full doses. But the problem we now face is convincing the public that these new vaccines are safe and there are no side affects.
I have seen countless people saying on social media that they are concerned about taking a vaccine. But, we must put everything in perspective. There is no way that these vaccines would be licenced for use if they had not undergone rigorous trials to ensure that they were safe. Also, we are talking about some of the biggest drug manufacturers in the world which supply a large part of the drugs used in the health services. So there is cause for optimism.
Now, world governments just have to convince the general public and this is not going to be an easy task. But there is cause for optimism and that is good news.