The creator of the world’s first approved coronavirus vaccine has warned that he believes the deadly coronavirus may survive for several years to come.

Lead scientist behind Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, Ugur Sahin, said that “The virus will stay with us for the next 10 years,”. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-us-nurse-passes-out-after-getting-pfizer-biontechs-covid-19-vaccine-350712">Watch: US nurse passes out after getting Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine</a>

“We need to get used to the fact there’ll be more outbreaks," he added.

Asked when he believed the world might be able to return to normal, Sahin responded: “We need a new definition of ‘normal’.” 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/four-trial-volunteers-who-got-pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-developed-bells-palsy-348547">Also read: Four trial volunteers who got Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine developed Bell's palsy</a>

Sahin continued that a “new normal” would not mean countries having to go into lockdown and that scenario could be possible “by the end of the summer”.

Ugur Sahin, chief executive of Germany's BioNTech, partnered with US drug company Pfizer and took less than a year to get a vaccine approved.

Sahin also urged caution on whether 60-70% of the world’s population being vaccinated would be enough to prevent further outbreaks.

(With inputs from agencies)

The creator of the world’s first approved coronavirus vaccine has warned that he believes the deadly coronavirus may survive for several years to come. Lead scientist behind Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, Ugur Sahin, said that “The virus will stay with us for the next 10 years,”.

The creator of the world’s first approved coronavirus vaccine has warned that he believes the deadly coronavirus may survive for several years to come. Lead scientist behind Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, Ugur Sahin, said that “The virus will stay with us for the next 10 years,”. Watch: US nurse passes out after getting Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine “We need to get used to the fact there’ll be more outbreaks," he added. Asked when he believed the world might be able to return to normal, Sahin responded: “We need a new definition of ‘normal’.” Also read: Four trial volunteers who got Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine developed Bell's palsy Sahin continued that a “new normal” would not mean countries having to go into lockdown and that scenario could be possible “by the end of the summer”. Ugur Sahin, chief executive of Germany's BioNTech, partnered with US drug company Pfizer and took less than a year to get a vaccine approved. Sahin also urged caution on whether 60-70% of the world’s population being vaccinated would be enough to prevent further outbreaks. (With inputs from agencies)

Coronavirus will stay with us for the next 10 years, says vaccine creator

Serum&nbsp;Institute of India, the world's largest <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccine</a>&nbsp;producer by volume, is close to signing a supply contract with the country's central government and likely to fix prices at 250 rupees ($3.39) per dose of the vaccine, Business Standard reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The government is pinning its hopes for mass supply on&nbsp;Serum&nbsp;Institute, which lodged the first formal application for emergency-use approval of AstraZeneca's shot on Monday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bharat-biotech-seeks-emergency-use-authorisation-for-indian-covid-19-vaccine-expert-panel-to-review-348232" hreflang="en">Bharat Biotech seeks emergency use authorisation for Indian Covid-19 vaccine</a>

Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla had earlier said the vaccine would be priced at 1,000 rupees ($13.55) per dose in India's private market, but governments signing large supply deals would likely buy it at lower prices.

Poonawalla had said&nbsp;Serum&nbsp;will first focus on supplying the vaccine to Indians before distributing it to other countries.

With 9.70 million COVID-19 cases recorded so far, India is second only to the United States and is accelerating its review of vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca to authorize for emergency use, a senior official said on Monday.

While the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research and Ministry of Health did not respond to Reuters request for comments,&nbsp;Serum&nbsp;Institute declined to offer one.

Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer by volume, is close to signing a supply contract with the country's central government and likely to fix prices at 250 rupees ($3.

Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer by volume, is close to signing a supply contract with the country's central government and likely to fix prices at 250 rupees ($3.39) per dose of the vaccine, Business Standard reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The government is pinning its hopes for mass supply on Serum Institute, which lodged the first formal application for emergency-use approval of AstraZeneca's shot on Monday. Also read: Bharat Biotech seeks emergency use authorisation for Indian Covid-19 vaccine Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla had earlier said the vaccine would be priced at 1,000 rupees ($13.55) per dose in India's private market, but governments signing large supply deals would likely buy it at lower prices. Poonawalla had said Serum will first focus on supplying the vaccine to Indians before distributing it to other countries. With 9.70 million COVID-19 cases recorded so far, India is second only to the United States and is accelerating its review of vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca to authorize for emergency use, a senior official said on Monday. While the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research and Ministry of Health did not respond to Reuters request for comments, Serum Institute declined to offer one.

Serum likely to supply COVID-19 vaccine at over $3 a dose to Indian government

A lead scientist behind&nbsp;Pfizer's&nbsp;coronavirus vaccine,&nbsp;Ugur Sahin, has warned that the jab needs time to be effective and that&nbsp;life will not return to normal till next winter.

Together with US giant&nbsp;Pfizer, BioN is developing the leading candidate in the worldwide chase for a vaccine.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/volunteers-face-severe-hangover-headache-and-pain-after-getting-pfizer-vaccine-shot-342518">Volunteers face 'severe hangover', headache and pain after getting Pfizer vaccine shot</a>

An effective inoculation against COVID-19 has been billed as the best way to end the global health crisis, but Professor Ugur Sahin, the co-founder of BioNTech, has cautioned against assuming the pandemic is behind us. &nbsp;

"Our goal is to deliver more than 300 million doses by April next year, which could already have an impact," he said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pfizer-biontech-claim-their-coronavirus-vaccine-is-90-effective-341931">Pfizer, BioNTech claim their coronavirus vaccine is 90% effective</a>

The vaccine, which Pfizer reports is over 90 percent effective, could be distributed to the general public as early as mid-December.&nbsp;

Israel signed a deal with Pfizer Inc on Friday to receive 8 million doses of the drugmaker's potential COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, enough to cover close to half of Israel`s population.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-signs-deal-with-pfizer-for-potential-covid-19-vaccine-342970">Israel signs deal with Pfizer for potential COVID-19 vaccine</a>

The infection rate will then go down in summer, Sahin predicted, adding that it is essential that there is a high takeup of the vaccination by autumn.

A number of vaccination companies are working to increase the supply, he said: "so we could have a normal winter next (year)."

Sahin and his wife Ozlem Tureci founded BioNTech in the western German city of Mainz in 2008.

Having identified promising vaccine blueprints, the company formed a partnership in March with American pharmaceutical giant&nbsp;Pfizer.

The announcement on Monday that their vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in trials led news bulletins around the world and sent stock markets and hopes soaring.&nbsp;

BioNTech is now worth $25.8 billion (21.8 billion euros), more than Germany's largest lender Deutsche Bank.

A lead scientist behind Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, Ugur Sahin, has warned that the jab needs time to be effective and that life will not return to normal till next winter.

A lead scientist behind Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, Ugur Sahin, has warned that the jab needs time to be effective and that life will not return to normal till next winter. Together with US giant Pfizer, BioN is developing the leading candidate in the worldwide chase for a vaccine. Also read: Volunteers face 'severe hangover', headache and pain after getting Pfizer vaccine shot An effective inoculation against COVID-19 has been billed as the best way to end the global health crisis, but Professor Ugur Sahin, the co-founder of BioNTech, has cautioned against assuming the pandemic is behind us. "Our goal is to deliver more than 300 million doses by April next year, which could already have an impact," he said. Also read: Pfizer, BioNTech claim their coronavirus vaccine is 90% effective The vaccine, which Pfizer reports is over 90 percent effective, could be distributed to the general public as early as mid-December. Israel signed a deal with Pfizer Inc on Friday to receive 8 million doses of the drugmaker's potential COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, enough to cover close to half of Israel`s population. Also read: Israel signs deal with Pfizer for potential COVID-19 vaccine The infection rate will then go down in summer, Sahin predicted, adding that it is essential that there is a high takeup of the vaccination by autumn. A number of vaccination companies are working to increase the supply, he said: "so we could have a normal winter next (year)." Sahin and his wife Ozlem Tureci founded BioNTech in the western German city of Mainz in 2008. Having identified promising vaccine blueprints, the company formed a partnership in March with American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. The announcement on Monday that their vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in trials led news bulletins around the world and sent stock markets and hopes soaring. BioNTech is now worth $25.8 billion (21.8 billion euros), more than Germany's largest lender Deutsche Bank.

Lead scientist behind Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, Ugur Sahin, says life will not return to normal till next winter

India and Myanmar have increased engagement to collaborate on joint development of COVID vaccine with the first round of discussion taking place earlier this week. Key Officials from both sides held a virtual discussion on the possible cooperation in the development of a COVID-19 vaccine and this includes its joint production, distribution and supply.

During the visit of foreign secretary Harsh Shringla to Myanmar, he had indicated India’s willingness to prioritize Myanmar in sharing vaccines. It was in that visit that happened earlier this month, Shringla handed over 3000 vials of Remdesivir state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi as a symbol of India‘s commitment to helping Myanmar mitigate the impact of covid 19.

Myanmar's envoy Moe Kyaw Aung on collaboration against covid told WION, "We have informed to the Indian side that Myanmar will participate in the development of a vaccine."

Amid the COVID crisis, India has been reaching out to countries in the region and across the world and Myanmar is no different. India provided more than one million USD worth of covid assistance to Myanmar.

e-ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) Programme courses related to COVID-19 pandemic conducted by Indian Institutes such as AIIMS in Raipur, Bhubaneshwar and Jodhpur, PGI Chandigarh etc. has registered healthy participation from Myanmar side.

The increase in engagement is in line with India's stated policy that India's vaccine will be used to help all humanity.

Indian PM Modi during his speech at United Nations General Assembly in September said, "As the largest vaccine producing country of the world, I want to give one more assurance to the global community today. India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis. We are moving ahead with phase 3 clinical trials in India and in our neighbourhood. India will also help all the countries in enhancing their cold chain and storage capacities for the delivery of Vaccines."

Amid the pandemic, India had sent anti covid medicines to around 150 countries. Indian Scientists and Research Teams are collaborating and strengthening the research capacities in neighbouring countries like Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal and Sri Lanka when it comes to the pandemic. New Delhi has received requests from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Qatar and Bhutan for clinical trials in their countries.

India and Myanmar have increased engagement to collaborate on joint development of COVID vaccine with the first round of discussion taking place earlier this week.

India and Myanmar have increased engagement to collaborate on joint development of COVID vaccine with the first round of discussion taking place earlier this week. Key Officials from both sides held a virtual discussion on the possible cooperation in the development of a COVID-19 vaccine and this includes its joint production, distribution and supply. During the visit of foreign secretary Harsh Shringla to Myanmar, he had indicated India’s willingness to prioritize Myanmar in sharing vaccines. It was in that visit that happened earlier this month, Shringla handed over 3000 vials of Remdesivir state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi as a symbol of India‘s commitment to helping Myanmar mitigate the impact of covid 19. Myanmar's envoy Moe Kyaw Aung on collaboration against covid told WION, "We have informed to the Indian side that Myanmar will participate in the development of a vaccine." Amid the COVID crisis, India has been reaching out to countries in the region and across the world and Myanmar is no different. India provided more than one million USD worth of covid assistance to Myanmar. e-ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) Programme courses related to COVID-19 pandemic conducted by Indian Institutes such as AIIMS in Raipur, Bhubaneshwar and Jodhpur, PGI Chandigarh etc. has registered healthy participation from Myanmar side. The increase in engagement is in line with India's stated policy that India's vaccine will be used to help all humanity. Indian PM Modi during his speech at United Nations General Assembly in September said, "As the largest vaccine producing country of the world, I want to give one more assurance to the global community today. India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis. We are moving ahead with phase 3 clinical trials in India and in our neighbourhood. India will also help all the countries in enhancing their cold chain and storage capacities for the delivery of Vaccines." Amid the pandemic, India had sent anti covid medicines to around 150 countries. Indian Scientists and Research Teams are collaborating and strengthening the research capacities in neighbouring countries like Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal and Sri Lanka when it comes to the pandemic. New Delhi has received requests from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Qatar and Bhutan for clinical trials in their countries.

India-Myanmar increase engagement on joint development of COVID-19 vaccine

Scientists at Imperial College London plan to deliberately infect volunteers with the coronavirus early next year, launching the world’s first effort to study how vaccinated people respond to being intentionally exposed to the virus and opening up a new, uncertain path to identifying an effective vaccine.

The hotly contested strategy, known as a human challenge trial, could potentially shave crucial time in the race to winnow a number of vaccine candidates. Rather than conducting the sort of trials now underway around the world, in which scientists wait for vaccinated people to encounter the virus in their homes and communities, researchers would purposely infect them in a hospital isolation unit.

Scientists have used this method for decades to test vaccines for typhoid, cholera, and other diseases, even asking volunteers in the case of malaria to expose their arms to boxes full of mosquitoes to be bitten and infected. But whereas the infected could be cured of those diseases, COVID-19 has few widely used treatments and no known cure, putting the scientists in charge of Britain’s study in largely uncharted ethical territory.

Starting with tiny doses, the scientists will first administer the virus to small groups of volunteers who have not been vaccinated at all, in order to determine the lowest dose of the virus that will reliably infect them. That process, scheduled to begin in January at a hospital in north London, will be followed by tests in which volunteers are given a vaccine and then intentionally exposed to this carefully calibrated dose of the virus.

The study will be led by scientists with Imperial College London and hVivo, a company specializing in human challenge trials. It still requires approval from Britain’s drug regulation agency, but the government said on Tuesday that it would allot 34 million pounds ($44 million) in public funding.

The first round of volunteers, up to 90 healthy adults ages 18 to 30, will have the virus dripped into their noses without having been vaccinated. If not enough participants become infected, the scientists will try to expose these early-stage volunteers to a higher dose, repeating the process until they have identified the necessary exposure level of the virus.

Only once the scientists decide on a dose, which they intend to do by late spring, will they begin the process of comparing vaccine candidates by immunizing the next group of volunteers and then exposing them to the virus.

Some vaccine candidates now undergoing trials may already have received approval by then, but researchers hope a challenge trial will add direct evidence of efficacy and help them compare the performance of different vaccines.

“Deliberately infecting volunteers with a known human pathogen is never undertaken lightly,” said professor Peter Openshaw, an immunologist and co-investigator on the study. “However, such studies are enormously informative about a disease, even one so well studied as COVID-19.”

Many important questions about the study remain unanswered. The British government’s vaccine task force, which will select the first vaccine candidates to include in the human challenge trial, has not yet announced its plans.

The idea of human challenge trials has already been met with a lukewarm reception by several leading vaccine makers, including Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson and Moderna, leaving analysts uncertain as to which companies’ vaccines will end up being included.

And it is not yet clear how regulators in Europe or the United States will evaluate results from human challenge trials, or whether such studies will accelerate the vaccine approval process.

For proponents of the strategy, saving lives by potentially speeding the development of a vaccine and advancing the understanding of the virus is a moral imperative. Those scientists and bioethicists say that the risk of the coronavirus seriously sickening or killing young, healthy volunteers — the sort of people who would be infected — is low enough as to be outweighed by the possibility of saving tens of thousands of lives.

“I’m surprised they haven’t been used earlier,” professor Julian Savulescu, the director of the Oxford Uehiro Center for Practical Ethics, said of human challenge trials on coronavirus vaccines. “Every day that you delay developing a vaccine and effective treatment, another 5,000 people die. It’d be useful for screening out less effective vaccines and for understanding the immune response.”

Skeptics have urged scientists to wait or to forgo the approach entirely. There have been unexpected and unexplained cases of severe illness in young patients, and the long-term consequences of infection are unknown, with the pandemic having started only months ago. It is also difficult to extrapolate widely from a human challenge trial. It is unclear, for example, whether studies in healthy young adults could reliably predict the efficacy of a vaccine in older adults or people with preexisting conditions.

Scientists have also warned about the challenges of mimicking real-world transmission in a laboratory. That could make it difficult for the researchers to know whether a vaccine that may protect volunteers from deliberate exposure in a hospital would do the same for people encountering the virus at work or at home.

“Is it breathed out, sneezed out, do you sniff it all in one fell chunk of the virus coming at you?” said John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College. “No one really knows. It’s so hard to model. Squirting a bolus of virus into the nose is an imperfect model of natural transmission.”

The debate has split an advisory panel to the World Health Organization, which published guidelines about the safest way to conduct challenge trials in June. In the United States, the National Institutes of Health said that it was not planning to support such trials and that randomized clinical trials were sufficient.

But Britain took a different view.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, facing a barrage of criticism for his handling of a pandemic that has left Britain with the highest death toll in Europe, has tried to cast the country as being at the forefront of scientific progress on the coronavirus. Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed one of the leading vaccine candidates, as well as one of the most promising treatments, the steroid called dexamethasone.

Some scientists questioned whether the fierce competition to be the first to develop an effective vaccine had unduly influenced plans for a human challenge trial.

“There’s unquestionably vaccine nationalism involved,” Moore said. “It’s a race for money and glory. That’s the reality of it.”

The scientists overseeing the trial said they would use the antiviral medicine remdesivir to treat volunteers as soon as they began detecting viral infection, even before the onset of symptoms. But that drug has been found to have only modest benefit. And some analysts said the treatment, while necessary, would limit researchers’ ability to determine whether the vaccine candidates being evaluated reduced the severity of illness.

The volunteers in London will be paid roughly Britain’s minimum wage, which is about 9 pounds ($11) per hour, for their time in taking part in the trial and their two to three weeks in mandatory quarantine. The researchers said they were wary of offering additional incentives that could cloud the judgment of volunteers.

Thousands of people in Britain have already expressed interest in taking part in challenge trials for the coronavirus through an American group, 1Day Sooner, that advocates for such studies.

But with the virus now surging again across Europe and parts of the United States, some scientists have argued there is no shortage of people enrolled in ordinary vaccine trials being exposed to the virus under natural conditions.

“This is not a rare disease,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel. “You can probably find a hot spot to do a vaccine trial.”

Scientists at Imperial College London plan to deliberately infect volunteers with the coronavirus early next year, launching the world’s first effort to study how vaccinated people respond to being intentionally exposed to the virus and opening up a new, uncertain path to identifying an effective vaccine.

Scientists at Imperial College London plan to deliberately infect volunteers with the coronavirus early next year, launching the world’s first effort to study how vaccinated people respond to being intentionally exposed to the virus and opening up a new, uncertain path to identifying an effective vaccine. The hotly contested strategy, known as a human challenge trial, could potentially shave crucial time in the race to winnow a number of vaccine candidates. Rather than conducting the sort of trials now underway around the world, in which scientists wait for vaccinated people to encounter the virus in their homes and communities, researchers would purposely infect them in a hospital isolation unit. Scientists have used this method for decades to test vaccines for typhoid, cholera, and other diseases, even asking volunteers in the case of malaria to expose their arms to boxes full of mosquitoes to be bitten and infected. But whereas the infected could be cured of those diseases, COVID-19 has few widely used treatments and no known cure, putting the scientists in charge of Britain’s study in largely uncharted ethical territory. Starting with tiny doses, the scientists will first administer the virus to small groups of volunteers who have not been vaccinated at all, in order to determine the lowest dose of the virus that will reliably infect them. That process, scheduled to begin in January at a hospital in north London, will be followed by tests in which volunteers are given a vaccine and then intentionally exposed to this carefully calibrated dose of the virus. The study will be led by scientists with Imperial College London and hVivo, a company specializing in human challenge trials. It still requires approval from Britain’s drug regulation agency, but the government said on Tuesday that it would allot 34 million pounds ($44 million) in public funding. The first round of volunteers, up to 90 healthy adults ages 18 to 30, will have the virus dripped into their noses without having been vaccinated. If not enough participants become infected, the scientists will try to expose these early-stage volunteers to a higher dose, repeating the process until they have identified the necessary exposure level of the virus. Only once the scientists decide on a dose, which they intend to do by late spring, will they begin the process of comparing vaccine candidates by immunizing the next group of volunteers and then exposing them to the virus. Some vaccine candidates now undergoing trials may already have received approval by then, but researchers hope a challenge trial will add direct evidence of efficacy and help them compare the performance of different vaccines. “Deliberately infecting volunteers with a known human pathogen is never undertaken lightly,” said professor Peter Openshaw, an immunologist and co-investigator on the study. “However, such studies are enormously informative about a disease, even one so well studied as COVID-19.” Many important questions about the study remain unanswered. The British government’s vaccine task force, which will select the first vaccine candidates to include in the human challenge trial, has not yet announced its plans. The idea of human challenge trials has already been met with a lukewarm reception by several leading vaccine makers, including Johnson &amp; Johnson and Moderna, leaving analysts uncertain as to which companies’ vaccines will end up being included. And it is not yet clear how regulators in Europe or the United States will evaluate results from human challenge trials, or whether such studies will accelerate the vaccine approval process. For proponents of the strategy, saving lives by potentially speeding the development of a vaccine and advancing the understanding of the virus is a moral imperative. Those scientists and bioethicists say that the risk of the coronavirus seriously sickening or killing young, healthy volunteers — the sort of people who would be infected — is low enough as to be outweighed by the possibility of saving tens of thousands of lives. “I’m surprised they haven’t been used earlier,” professor Julian Savulescu, the director of the Oxford Uehiro Center for Practical Ethics, said of human challenge trials on coronavirus vaccines. “Every day that you delay developing a vaccine and effective treatment, another 5,000 people die. It’d be useful for screening out less effective vaccines and for understanding the immune response.” Skeptics have urged scientists to wait or to forgo the approach entirely. There have been unexpected and unexplained cases of severe illness in young patients, and the long-term consequences of infection are unknown, with the pandemic having started only months ago. It is also difficult to extrapolate widely from a human challenge trial. It is unclear, for example, whether studies in healthy young adults could reliably predict the efficacy of a vaccine in older adults or people with preexisting conditions. Scientists have also warned about the challenges of mimicking real-world transmission in a laboratory. That could make it difficult for the researchers to know whether a vaccine that may protect volunteers from deliberate exposure in a hospital would do the same for people encountering the virus at work or at home. “Is it breathed out, sneezed out, do you sniff it all in one fell chunk of the virus coming at you?” said John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College. “No one really knows. It’s so hard to model. Squirting a bolus of virus into the nose is an imperfect model of natural transmission.” The debate has split an advisory panel to the World Health Organization, which published guidelines about the safest way to conduct challenge trials in June. In the United States, the National Institutes of Health said that it was not planning to support such trials and that randomized clinical trials were sufficient. But Britain took a different view. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, facing a barrage of criticism for his handling of a pandemic that has left Britain with the highest death toll in Europe, has tried to cast the country as being at the forefront of scientific progress on the coronavirus. Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed one of the leading vaccine candidates, as well as one of the most promising treatments, the steroid called dexamethasone. Some scientists questioned whether the fierce competition to be the first to develop an effective vaccine had unduly influenced plans for a human challenge trial. “There’s unquestionably vaccine nationalism involved,” Moore said. “It’s a race for money and glory. That’s the reality of it.” The scientists overseeing the trial said they would use the antiviral medicine remdesivir to treat volunteers as soon as they began detecting viral infection, even before the onset of symptoms. But that drug has been found to have only modest benefit. And some analysts said the treatment, while necessary, would limit researchers’ ability to determine whether the vaccine candidates being evaluated reduced the severity of illness. The volunteers in London will be paid roughly Britain’s minimum wage, which is about 9 pounds ($11) per hour, for their time in taking part in the trial and their two to three weeks in mandatory quarantine. The researchers said they were wary of offering additional incentives that could cloud the judgment of volunteers. Thousands of people in Britain have already expressed interest in taking part in challenge trials for the coronavirus through an American group, 1Day Sooner, that advocates for such studies. But with the virus now surging again across Europe and parts of the United States, some scientists have argued there is no shortage of people enrolled in ordinary vaccine trials being exposed to the virus under natural conditions. “This is not a rare disease,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel. “You can probably find a hot spot to do a vaccine trial.”

To test virus vaccines, UK study will intentionally infect volunteers

China's state-run company&nbsp;Sinopharm is offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students&nbsp;going abroad for higher studies.

Sinopharm is&nbsp;Group Co Ltd&nbsp;is currently developing two coronavirus&nbsp;vaccines.

The move by China National Biotec Group Co (CNBG) is aimed at boosting public confidence in homegrown inoculations, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a company website and some students who applied for it.

The announcement of the company distributing vaccines to students appeared on a website where people could sign up to receive it, the newspaper reported.

The website said on Monday that 481,613 people had taken the vaccine while an additional 93,653 had applied to be inoculated, according to the report.

The website was down starting Tuesday, the report said, adding that it was "under maintenance".

CNBG did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

China launched a vaccine emergency use programme in July, offering three experimental shots developed by a unit of state pharmaceutical giant China National Pharmaceutical Group and US-listed Sinovac Biotech.

A fourth vaccine being developed by CanSino Biologics was approved for use by the Chinese military in June.

On the other hand, an Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company called Group 42 is nearing the end of Phase III clinical trials of a vaccine in partnership with CNBG.

&nbsp;

China's state-run company Sinopharm is offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students going abroad for higher studies. Sinopharm is Group Co Ltd is currently developing two coronavirus vaccines.

China's state-run company Sinopharm is offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students going abroad for higher studies. Sinopharm is Group Co Ltd is currently developing two coronavirus vaccines. The move by China National Biotec Group Co (CNBG) is aimed at boosting public confidence in homegrown inoculations, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a company website and some students who applied for it. The announcement of the company distributing vaccines to students appeared on a website where people could sign up to receive it, the newspaper reported. The website said on Monday that 481,613 people had taken the vaccine while an additional 93,653 had applied to be inoculated, according to the report. The website was down starting Tuesday, the report said, adding that it was "under maintenance". CNBG did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. China launched a vaccine emergency use programme in July, offering three experimental shots developed by a unit of state pharmaceutical giant China National Pharmaceutical Group and US-listed Sinovac Biotech. A fourth vaccine being developed by CanSino Biologics was approved for use by the Chinese military in June. On the other hand, an Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing company called Group 42 is nearing the end of Phase III clinical trials of a vaccine in partnership with CNBG.

Chinese company Sinopharm offering free COVID-19 vaccine to students

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Sunday his son will join trials of Sputnik V, the coronavirus vaccine which was met with caution when Russia announced it was the world's first to be approved.

An initial batch of the vaccine arrived in Venezuela on Friday, the government announced, and 2,000 residents will participate in the trials.

"In this clinical trial phase, my son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, told me of his decision to be vaccinated with the Russian vaccine, to join the trial. I think it is very good," the socialist leader said in a speech on state television network VTV.

Maduro's sister is also a volunteer for the clinical trials.

Maduro Guerra, 30, is also a politician and a member of his father's governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

Named "Sputnik V" after the historic Soviet-era satellite, the vaccine was met with skepticism from the global medical community.

Russia in August declared itself the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine, although it is still undergoing large-scale clinical trials after promising results.

The drug is currently in Phase 3, the human testing state, and according to Moscow, more than 40,000 volunteers have been inoculated during the process.

"When the entire scientific, clinical and testing phase is closed, voluntary vaccination will come... As soon as we start mass vaccination, I am going to be the first one to get it," Maduro said.

Russia has been one of Maduro's main backers in the face of international pressure led by Washington, which seeks to displace him from power because it considers his reelection to have been fraudulent.

The US, as well as some 50 other countries, recognize Maduro's opponent, National Assembly speaker Juan Guaido, as Venezuela's interim president.

Guaido slammed the decision to participate in the Russian trials, saying, "They use our people as guinea pigs."

According to official figures, as of Saturday, Venezuela has registered 77,646 cases of Covid-19 out of the entire 30 million population, and 649 deaths. These numbers are disputed by the country's opposition and international organizations such as Human Rights Watch.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Sunday his son will join trials of Sputnik V, the coronavirus vaccine which was met with caution when Russia announced it was the world's first to be approved.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Sunday his son will join trials of Sputnik V, the coronavirus vaccine which was met with caution when Russia announced it was the world's first to be approved. An initial batch of the vaccine arrived in Venezuela on Friday, the government announced, and 2,000 residents will participate in the trials. "In this clinical trial phase, my son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, told me of his decision to be vaccinated with the Russian vaccine, to join the trial. I think it is very good," the socialist leader said in a speech on state television network VTV. Maduro's sister is also a volunteer for the clinical trials. Maduro Guerra, 30, is also a politician and a member of his father's governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Named "Sputnik V" after the historic Soviet-era satellite, the vaccine was met with skepticism from the global medical community. Russia in August declared itself the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine, although it is still undergoing large-scale clinical trials after promising results. The drug is currently in Phase 3, the human testing state, and according to Moscow, more than 40,000 volunteers have been inoculated during the process. "When the entire scientific, clinical and testing phase is closed, voluntary vaccination will come... As soon as we start mass vaccination, I am going to be the first one to get it," Maduro said. Russia has been one of Maduro's main backers in the face of international pressure led by Washington, which seeks to displace him from power because it considers his reelection to have been fraudulent. The US, as well as some 50 other countries, recognize Maduro's opponent, National Assembly speaker Juan Guaido, as Venezuela's interim president. Guaido slammed the decision to participate in the Russian trials, saying, "They use our people as guinea pigs." According to official figures, as of Saturday, Venezuela has registered 77,646 cases of Covid-19 out of the entire 30 million population, and 649 deaths. These numbers are disputed by the country's opposition and international organizations such as Human Rights Watch.

Venezuela's Maduro says son to join virus vaccine trial

Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine.

Putin's announcement on Tuesday about the vaccine was met with caution from scientists and the World Health Organization who said it still needed a rigorous safety review.

"The first batch of the novel coronavirus vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research institute has been produced," the health ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/all-you-want-to-know-about-russias-coronavirus-vaccine-sputnik-v-319775">All you want to know about Russia's coronavirus vaccine 'Sputnik V'</a>

Putin said the vaccine was safe and that one of his own daughters had been inoculated, though clinical trials were not yet complete and final stage testing involving more than 2,000 people only started this week.

Western scientists were sceptical, with some warning that moving too quickly on a vaccine could be dangerous, but Russia denounced criticism as an attempt to undermine Moscow's research.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/after-russia-these-covid-19-vaccines-set-to-unveil-soon-319760">After Russia, these COVID-19 vaccines set to unveil soon!</a>

The Russian vaccine is called "Sputnik V" after the Soviet-era satellite that was the first launched into space in 1957.

It was developed by the Gamaleya research institute for epidemiology and microbiology in Moscow in coordination with the Russian defence ministry.

The head of the institute, Alexander Gintsburg, told the TASS state news agency on Saturday that volunteers taking part in the final stage testing of the vaccine's safety and efficacy would have two inoculations.

Russia has said that industrial production is expected from September and that it plans to manufacture 5 million doses per month by December or January.

Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said this week that the vaccine would first be made available to medics and would later be available to all Russians on a voluntary basis.

With more than 917,000 confirmed infections, Russia's coronavirus caseload is currently fourth in the world after the United States, Brazil and India.

Currently Russia has 92,000 people hospitalised with the virus and 2,900 in intensive care, according to the health ministry.

Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine.

Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine. Putin's announcement on Tuesday about the vaccine was met with caution from scientists and the World Health Organization who said it still needed a rigorous safety review. "The first batch of the novel coronavirus vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research institute has been produced," the health ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies. Also see: All you want to know about Russia's coronavirus vaccine 'Sputnik V' Putin said the vaccine was safe and that one of his own daughters had been inoculated, though clinical trials were not yet complete and final stage testing involving more than 2,000 people only started this week. Western scientists were sceptical, with some warning that moving too quickly on a vaccine could be dangerous, but Russia denounced criticism as an attempt to undermine Moscow's research. Also see: After Russia, these COVID-19 vaccines set to unveil soon! The Russian vaccine is called "Sputnik V" after the Soviet-era satellite that was the first launched into space in 1957. It was developed by the Gamaleya research institute for epidemiology and microbiology in Moscow in coordination with the Russian defence ministry. The head of the institute, Alexander Gintsburg, told the TASS state news agency on Saturday that volunteers taking part in the final stage testing of the vaccine's safety and efficacy would have two inoculations. Russia has said that industrial production is expected from September and that it plans to manufacture 5 million doses per month by December or January. Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said this week that the vaccine would first be made available to medics and would later be available to all Russians on a voluntary basis. With more than 917,000 confirmed infections, Russia's coronavirus caseload is currently fourth in the world after the United States, Brazil and India. Currently Russia has 92,000 people hospitalised with the virus and 2,900 in intensive care, according to the health ministry.

Russia begins production of the first batch of coronavirus vaccine

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi held a virtual meet with state chief ministers on COVID-19 situation in the country.

PM Modi's virtual conference on COVID-19 situation: Meets state chief ministers

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