Expert explains why no vaccine will be able to stop the coronavirus.

Sputnik - The WHO has registered 102 laboratories worldwide developing vaccines against the new coronavirus. However, even if several prove effective, it may not be enough to eradicate the virus, a doctor warns.

Our calculations According to data released by the World Health Organization on April 28, there were already a total of 102 laboratories worldwide focused on developing a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. However, the actual number could exceed two hundred.

However, Seth Berkley, a medical epidemiologist, alert An article in the New York Times suggests that the existence of a vaccine, even an effective one, may not be enough to stop the pandemic.

Effective if it is global and accessible.

In fact, even if a vaccine proves effective "And once it starts to be distributed, it is necessary to ensure equal access to it," argued Berkley, who is also the executive director of the GAVI Alliance, an international organization that promotes access to immunization in poor countries.

Berkley recalled the case of the H1N1 swine flu, which killed more than 200 people worldwide in 2009.

Although it proved not to be as severe as seasonal flu, an effective vaccine was developed for it. However, it was only distributed in wealthy countries, leaving the rest of the world without it.

"That's what's wrong when manufacturing agreements or domestic export policies in vaccine-producing countries impose restrictions on their international availability," Berkeley commented.

Berkley fears that a similar scenario could repeat itself with the coronavirus pandemicwhich has already claimed the lives of more than 230.000 people worldwide. In this case, and again, only the richest countries could acquire enough vaccines to immunize their populations.

Pandemic out of control

The pandemic could thus spiral out of control in countries that are unable to procure sufficient vaccines, especially since their health systems are generally weaker, with little capacity to track the spread of the virus.

"These countries also have a limited capacity to pay for vaccines, which is why the organization I lead, the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, provides grants to countries to purchase them," Berkeley stated.

According to the expert, world leaders must think globally, not nationally, about ways to combat the pandemic and ensure that all regions of the world have access to the vaccine.

Otherwise, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus It will continue to circulate and spread.

Search for the vaccine

The Coalition for Equal Access to Vaccines (CEPI) foundation, launched in 2017 to accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases, has already funded more than nine projects to develop a... vaccine against SARS-CoV-2However, it will still need another US$2 billion (R$10,89 billion) for at least three of these candidates to meet regulatory and quality requirements and complete efficacy tests.

The world will then need to secure the necessary funds to guarantee production capacity and thus be able to make billions of doses available to the world's population over the next 18 to 24 months.

On this point, the foundation is working to create a mechanism that guarantees equal access to the vaccine.

Ensuring global reach

The health ministers of 20 countries, along with the president of the European Commission and the director-general of the WHO, have already committed to accelerating the development, manufacture, and equitable distribution of vaccines.

"Only by protecting all those at risk will we be able to stop this outbreak and respond effectively to future outbreaks. In the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine, everyone, everywhere, must be a winner," concluded Seth Berkley.