Reader View: People don’t have too many options but to trust a quickly-made Covid vaccine

YourTurn is our weekly feature in which ThePrint's readers share their views or opinions in response to the question of the week.

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New Delhi: Scientists across the world have been racing against the clock to understand the novel coronavirus and develop a vaccine that protects against Covid-19.

Many vaccine candidates are currently in clinical trials, with the most promising one being the ChAdOx1, engineered by the University of Oxford in collaboration with AstraZeneca and the Jenner Institute.

We asked readers: Would you trust a Covid-19 vaccine developed in super-quick time?

Here is what some of them said:

‘Will go for it. Hope is the strangest yet strongest thing in world’

Uncertainty is the new certain. With the prevailing circumstances, people have been resorting to anything and everything, from superstitions to ‘nuske‘ (home remedies) and suggestions from WhatsApp university. In such unprecedented times, clinging to a single ray of hope, no matter how hazy it seems, is a matter of great optimism. In the midst of it all, if a vaccine shall be developed, it will be considered a huge victory for humankind. However, the side effects being unknown, it will be a considerable risk. Here comes the challenge of weighing the pros and cons; where lies the greater risk? Personally, I would go for it. Hope, after all, is the strangest yet the strongest thing in the world.

 Avni Sharma, Chandigarh

‘Shouldn’t pressurise authorities for a quick vaccine’ 

In my perspective, Covid-19 vaccine should be made with due safety and precaution so as to prevent side effects. The government shouldn’t pressurise authorities to make the vaccine quickly. After all, a vaccine should work properly. An ideal vaccine should have

1. No/less side effects
2. Should be effective in one go (antibodies that generated within the body do not last for longer than a few months)

My view is that vaccine should not be made in a hurry.

— Mangesh Khandwe, Nagpur. Twitter handle: @Mangeshkhandwe1

‘It will be hard to trust such a vaccine completely’

Given the rush for developing the vaccine ignoring the standard protocols, it will be hard to trust the vaccine completely. Even those infected will take it with a pinch of salt, only as the last resort. Scaling up its manufacturing in India under the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat initiative will depend on Indian regulators observing established protocols. We should not rush but tread cautiously. This move will have far reaching consequences towards our image as the world’s pharmacy. Let’s be a wise turtle rather than a rushing rabbit.

— Sajad Ul Haq Lone, Srinagar. Twitter handle: @sajadulhaqlone

‘If CDC or ICMR announce a vaccine, it will be safe’

I will trust the institutions; I don’t think they will endanger people. With so much focus and resources put into the development of a vaccine across the world, coming up with a vaccine in a quick time will not be surprising. If the concerned authorities like CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the USA or ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) announce a vaccine, I presume it would be safe enough and don’t think these matters of people’s health will be taken lightly.

To create trust, the politicians need to stay out of it and should not indulge in exerting pressure on these institutions or make any predictions as to when this will be made available. Such statements will cast doubt in people’s minds.

— Vidyuth Chikoti, San Francisco Bay Area. Twitter handle: @followvidyuth

‘Less data on safety won’t mean a vaccine will be unsafe’

Notwithstanding the fact that nations are in a rush to unveil the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine, I believe that we should trust the first vaccine. It’s an unprecedented situation in which, within a couple of months, we’ll have the desired vaccine with less data on its side effects. Also, a faster vaccine will mean less safety data but this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unsafe. Since safety has many aspects to it, reviewers will draw on additional sources to establish as comprehensive a picture as possible on vaccine safety. The conclusion, though, can be different for different demographics.

 Ishan Sundriyal, Bareilly. Twitter handle: @ishan40792351

‘Question is do we trust the authorities’

I think the question is do we trust the authorities sanctioning a vaccine made in quick time. It’s no secret that scientists are influenced by political will. The recent example is that a scientific institution like ICMR had to take up jobs like sampling and data collection which is way beyond its job profile. The vaccine is the need of the hour. It has to be safe or else we may suffer from a false sense of immunity and perhaps some serious adverse effects. Science is difficult, it has placed a lot of self-made hurdles to insure safety. We as people have no other choice but to trust in the process and trust the unbiased and ethical side of the authorising bodies.

— Dr Swanit Deshpande, Mumbai. Twitter handle: @swanitdeshpande

‘People want vaccine based on science, a transparent process’

I will somewhat agree to take a Covid-19 vaccine cultivated in super quick time, with necessary evidence. The lack of published data on Russia’s vaccine — including how it is made and details on safety, immune response and whether it can prevent Covid-19 infection — left scientists, health authorities and the public in the dark. The obsessive focus on speed and constant politicising makes people uncomfortable. The common people just want this to be based on science and health and to be a transparent process. The sooner we solve this the better and vaccine is the only way that will allow us to get back to ‘normal’ life.

 Atisshreya Chhotaray, Bhubaneswar. Twitter handle: @atisshreya

‘Won’t trust vaccine before it has cleared all safety checks’

I would definitely not trust a Covid-19 vaccine developed in super-quick time. As vaccine development is characterised by a long gestation period and a 93 per cent failure rate between animal studies and registration period, the timeline for its development is excruciatingly long. Even though, in the case of Covid where the entire international community is working together, I would not trust any vaccination approved before it has passed all the safety checks. For a vaccine that has not passed appropriate testing and rushed to the market might have certain political agendas buried within.

 Kaizeen Munshi. Twitter handle: @Kaizeen4

‘If not fully tested, a vaccine can create pandemic-like situation’

There is a need for a vaccine that has undergone proper research and testing. There is a global race to develop a vaccine for Covid-19. In the current context, vaccine is the need of the world. But it should not be developed in super quick time. A vaccine takes almost a decade to fully develop. Developing, testing and reviewing a vaccine is a long and complex process. The vaccine should be approved by the government as well as by the WHO. It should go through proper trials and research process. Vaccine and its side effects should be checked before mass vaccination. It can create another new pandemic-like situation if it is not fully tested.

 Binni Kumari, Patna. Twitter handle: @Binnikumari9

‘Vaccine may be partially effective, but that’s enough for now’

I’m quite optimistic. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

It’s not going to be the perfect vaccine. Chances are we might find evidence that these vaccines are partially effective, and that’s enough for now because it’s substantial. I’m more concerned with the ability to produce enough for everyone. Also, it should be affordable and easily available to all strata of the society with a minimal fee.

 Priyanka Singh. Twitter handle: @Priyankaaaa24