A COVID-19 Vaccine That Has Not Passed Human Trials Could Be Fatal

Liputan6.com, Jakarta A few days ago, we were all shocked by the stop the COVID-19 vaccine researched by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. Allegedly, the side effect reactions were quite serious and fatal, until the World Health Organization (WHO) postponed the phase three trial the COVID-19 vaccine experimental for safety reasons.

However, in addition to the University of Oxford vaccine trials, there are now eight other potential vaccines that have reached phase 3, a phase that involves tens of thousands of people and compares how the vaccine works against people who only get a placebo.

The eight vaccines include China’s CanSino Biology product which was approved for military use in July, and a vaccine from Russia which has been tested on only 76 people.

“Approving a vaccine without a clinical trial is like getting on an airplane that has never been tested for safety. It may work, but failure can be catastrophic, “said Tony Moody, MD, director of Duke’s Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Center, as quoted Menshealth.

Another concern is the launch of a vaccine that is predicted to be used in October, to coincide with the US elections. Nor is it the first time a vaccine has been used as political action to increase chances of a presidential election.

“Vaccines are the safest medical product in the world, but there can be serious side effects in some cases that are often only revealed by very large trials,” says Kate Langwig, Ph.D., infectious disease ecologist at Virginia Tech.

One other possible side effect is known as vaccine immunity. This occurs when the body makes antibodies in response to a vaccine. But on the other hand, antibodies help the infection enter the cells, as in the case of dengue fever.

“Vaccines should make it safe and heal from COVID-19, but it actually worsens the disease,” said Nir Eyal, D.Phil., A professor of bioethics at Rutgers University.

In 1966, a trial of a vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus, a disease afflicting many infants, left more than 80 percent of babies and children receiving the vaccine hospitalized and killed two people.

All of these risks can be prevented, but safety requires patience, something society and government should accept.

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