Corona vaccine
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It is becoming increasingly clear: to get rid of Corona permanently, you need a vaccine. The development of such substances usually takes years. With Corona too, it will take some time before a vaccine can be used across the board. In the NDR podcast “Corona Virus Update”, virologist Christian Drosten spoke of the fact that modern approaches could possibly deliver a vaccine faster. But not in large quantities. The question arises: who is vaccinated first?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 62 corona vaccines are currently being researched worldwide. Even if some research groups have already carried out the first tests on humans, it will probably take several months before a vaccine can be used across the board. The reason for this is logical: vaccines have to go through a whole series of tests before they are approved. It must be recognized not only whether they actually provide immunity, but also whether they do not lead to serious side effects in the long term.
Modern approaches could deliver a vaccine faster
The most common types of vaccine are live and dead vaccines. In the former, severely weakened pathogens are injected. One example of this is measles vaccination. A live vaccine usually does not need to be refreshed. It is different with dead vaccines. Killed pathogens are injected here. Regular refreshing is necessary. According to Drosten, tests with both species are showing promising initial results.
Dead vaccines are, however, much more widespread, also because they can be made accessible to a broad mass more quickly. However, the development of a vaccine could go even faster with a very modern approach: RNA vaccines are mainly used in cancer research. They are given pure genetic material. The body should then itself form the appropriate proteins to ward off the viruses. The problem: development is fast, but the vaccine would initially only be available in limited quantities.
Who should you vaccinate first?
If such a vaccine actually prevails first, the question arises: who will be vaccinated first. “Of course, it is often the first impulse to say that the first vaccine is for risk groups,” said Drosten in the NDR podcast. However, he does not consider this thought to be far enough. Because if there is little vaccine, the goal should be to achieve the greatest possible effect for the general population.
You could do that by vaccinating medical personnel first, explains Drosten. After all, this is usually basically healthy, but the risk of getting infected is still high due to the frequent contact with infected people – and a failure of doctors and nurses has bad consequences. If you vaccinate employees in clinics and medical practices first, you ensure medical care and also ensure that doctors or nurses do not unconsciously infect other patients.
Providing the vaccine to risk groups such as the elderly would also have another disadvantage. According to the virologist, a weakened body usually needs more vaccine to become immune to the disease. If the vaccine is initially made available to healthy nursing staff, more people can be vaccinated at the same time.
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