(Interview)

Covid-19 has caused a lot of damage to all areas of our lives. Ranging from health problems to economic crisis. The number of deaths exceeded 900 thousand people, and this is not the limit. So many people are wondering, “When the Covid-19 vaccine will be invented?”

So today I managed to speak to the one of the leading doctors in Ukraine. His name is Lesyk Borysiuk. We will discuss the current situation about developing the vaccine.

“How long does it take to develop a vaccine in general?”

“Well, I’ll give you some examples from one of the latest epidemics with H1N1. Once a new strain of influenza virus with pandemic potential was identified and isolated, it took approximately 5-6 months to receive the first batches of approved vaccine. Such timing is necessary due to the fact that the process of producing a new vaccine includes many successive stages, each of which requires a certain time.”

“After receiving the first batch of vaccine what happens next?”

“The next step will be testing. Once the hybrid virus is obtained, testing should be done to ensure that it does produce the external proteins of the pandemic strain, that it is safe, and can be grown in eggs. At the end of this process, which takes about three weeks, the vaccine strain is transferred to the vaccine manufacturers.”

“And only after all preparations we will get some vaccine?”

“Yes, we need to create a space of control of quality. The vaccine batch is reconstituted to the desired antigen concentration, filled in ampoules or syringes, and labeled.”

“So in general how long will it take to buy get the vaccine in our pharmacy?”

“About a year I guess, we have already tested it, I think it will be ready in spring 2021, maybe later.”

“Thank you very much for this short interview, now we will know how long we need to wait more to get the help. We will wait for it impatiently.”

“No problem. Thank you for inviting me. Stay safe, wear your mask, and you will don’t need to be vaccinated. Bye!”