If we are very lucky, vaccine will be ready in a year: WHO chief scientist

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan is of the optimistic opinion that a vaccine for Covid-19 will be ready within a year.  Speaking to The Print, the scientist said that, like never before, seven candidates are in human clinical trials within a few months since the discovery of a pathogen.

But having a vaccine ready in 12 months is the best-case scenario.  “If we are very, very lucky and everything goes well, we could have a vaccine in 9 to 12 months,” she tells the portal.  Recently, a scientist opined that it will be nothing less than a heroic achievement if a vaccine is ready by 18 months.  

“WHO intends to help bring together manufacturers and scientists to facilitate prioritisation criteria for developing vaccine candidates and clinical trial protocols,” Soumya has been quoted as saying by the portal.  

“More candidates will start trials this summer,” she adds.  

Soumya Swaminathan is of the firm view that coronavirus behaving like a “seasonal virus like the influenza virus, coming in waves once or twice a year” could be a reality for the next few years.  

She refuses to believe that coronavirus is a lab-made virus.  “This virus has a close similarity to bat coronaviruses,” she says.