January 16, 2021, was believed to be India’s last fight against the coronavirus through vaccines, instead ended up making scientists tirelessly work without respite in finding the right cure to this virus. The right cure remains uncertain; however, vaccines and other ways to prevent the virus’ multiplication started to grow in volumes in India and other countries as well. Numerous vaccines came through, some effective to an extent while some not. It does not stop there; scientists began experimenting by fusing various vaccines into one or developing chewing gums or even saying that the common cold could barricade the virus remain in place, although none are promised to be the right solution.
Right now, Indian scientists claim to possess a universal vaccine promising to be effective against every variant of the abominable virus. How did they discover this vaccine they so claim capable against all coronavirus variants, and what made them say that this is the ultimate solution against the virus? Exactly why it’s important to learn a word or two about it.
How was the Vaccine Developed?
Scientists from Asansol’s Kazi Nazrul University and Bhubaneshwar’s Indian Institute of Science Education and Research claim to have developed a peptide vaccine. They stated that the vaccine would protect them from future COVID-19 versions.
The news comes at a time when novel coronavirus variants have sparked new outbreaks around the world.
“In this study, we employed immunoinformatic approaches to design AbhiSCoVac – a multi-epitope multi-target chimeric peptide that would be able to generate protective immunity against all six virulent members of the family hCoV-229E, hCoV-HKU1, hCoV-OC43, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV as well as SARS-CoV-2,” the researchers said.
The research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Molecular Liquids, a journal dedicated to fundamental features of the structure, relationships, and dynamic processes in simple, molecular, and complex liquids.
“The designed vaccine was found to be highly stable, antigenic and immunogenic,” the researchers Abhigyan Choudhury and Suprabhat Mukherjee from Kazi Nazrul University and Parth Sarthi Sen Gupta, Saroj Kumar Panda, and Malay Kumar Rana from IISER, Bhubaneshwar said.
According to Choudhary, the vaccine was produced by a team of researchers utilizing computational approaches. The next step, he said, would be to manufacture the vaccine, which would be followed by testing.
According to Choudhary, researchers discovered several conserved areas in the spike protein of the six different viral types that undergo very few mutations and thus vary only slightly during the pandemic. The protein’s immunogenic sites have been found. This means they have the ability to produce high quantities of immunological memory in the body, which is necessary for protection against COVID-19.
Despite the fact that the coronavirus pandemic is still unfolding, billions of people throughout the world are still waiting for their first injection of the COVID-19 vaccine. UNICEF is leading the global distribution of lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines as a key delivery partner of the COVAX Facility, a groundbreaking collaboration between the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), UNICEF, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to address the pandemic’s multiple facets.
Yet vaccination hesitancy still appears to be an obstacle, with health workers facing resistance from people who believe that vaccines are not effective against the coronavirus. Therefore, Facebook’s Data for Good team studied hundreds of public posts on the topic on Facebook to better understand vaccine hesitancy in India.
Why are Some Hesitant Against Vaccines?
The COVID19 Trends and Impact Survey revealed that India has one of the highest rates of vaccination acceptance in the world, with over 77 percent of respondents expressing that they would prefer to take the vaccine at the time of analysis. While side effects are often the main reason for hesitancy, the top factor contributing to hesitancy in India was people’s desire to “wait and see if [the COVID19 vaccine] is safe and receive it later,” as shown by 45 percent of respondents who said they did not want the COVID-19 vaccination.
Around 37 percent of respondents said that other people need it more than they do at the moment, and it was the second most prevalent reason for not wanting the vaccine.
But on the bright side, a qualitative analysis of public posts in India about the COVID19 vaccine generally revealed positive feelings, with many posts expressing national pride that India had developed its own vaccine and was providing it to other countries at the time. Undertones of social cohesiveness and strong national momentum to vaccinate were present in the messages.
Many users also shared personal vaccination tales, encouraged others to get vaccinated, and expressed gratitude for health care providers. Finally, many people had worries regarding the vaccination’s availability, potential adverse effects, and when/how they would be eligible for their first dosage, according to public posts about the vaccine.
But what should be done to enable more people to take vaccines?
What should be Done to Promote Vaccination Among People?
From individual views to experiences, information, and even attitudes & beliefs— everything impacts vaccine decision-making. To be effective, changing vaccine attitudes and behaviours typically necessitate several nudges at different levels, such as initiatives that target individuals, communities, and even the legislative landscape.
In India, emphasizing social norms and strengthening cohesion can be an effective technique for increasing vaccine confidence. One of UNICEF’s campaigns was particularly effective in raising the possibility that Hindi-speaking audience members would recommend COVID-19 vaccination to a close friend or relative.
This campaign also attempted to leverage public approbation as well as national pride in India’s ability to produce its own vaccine and share it with other countries (with messages such as “Make India #1 in COVID-19 vaccination” and “Don’t let India down, get vaccinated against COVID-19”). This campaign positioned India as a global leader in the fight against COVID-19 and encouraged Indians to be vaccinated and join the fight.