If a coronavirus vaccine arrives, can the world make enough?

Researchers warn production constraints and hoarding could limit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine supplies. 

The COVID-19 vaccine development landscape.

9 APRIL 2020 – The genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, was published on 11 January 2020, triggering intense global R&D activity to develop a vaccine against the disease. The scale of the humanitarian and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is driving evaluation of next-generation vaccine technology platforms through novel paradigms to accelerate development, and the first COVID-19 vaccine candidate entered human clinical testing with unprecedented rapidity on 16 March 2020.

Global collaboration to accelerate new COVID-19 health technologies

24 APRIL 2020 – Global health actors, private sector partners and other stakeholders are launching a landmark collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equitable global access to new COVID-19 essential health technologies. View press release below.

Push for Local Vaccine Production as race for COVID-19 antidote continues.

6th JULY 2020 – The World is facing an unprecedented health challenge that has seen the loss of over 500,000 in just 7 months. The novel 2019 Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) was first reported on 31st December 2019 and declared a global pandemic a month later by the World Health Organization on 30th March 2020. The first case in Africa, which has since reported over 350,000 cases, was reported 14th February 2020 in Egypt. 

HIV raises the risk of death from COVID-19 in South Africa’s Western Cape.

8 JULY 2020 – HIV raises the risk of death from COVID-19 in South Africa’s Western Cape province and around eight percent of deaths from COVID-19 in the province are attributable to HIV, Dr Mary-Ann Davies of the Western Cape Health Department told the 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020: Virtual) today.

African Union aims to scale up COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.

10 JULY 2020 — Currently there is only one clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate in sub-Saharan Africa, taking place in South Africa. But the African Union and World Health Organization, among others, are hoping that the number of clinical trials will increase across the continent to ensure that any successful vaccines that come to market will actually work for African populations and that they will be accessible to people across the continent

COVID-19 Vaccine trial at Groote Schuur to be rolled out next week.

23 JULY 2020 – South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine trial will be rolled out in the Western Cape by next week. Over 700 volunteers have so far been screened to participate in the randomized vaccine efficacy study.