How close are we to a Coronavirus vaccine?

As per world health organization (WHO), more than 140 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine.

Vaccines normally require years of testing and additional time to produce at scale, but scientists are hoping to develop a coronavirus vaccine within 12 to 18 months.

Vaccines mimic the virus – or part of the virus – they protect against, stimulating the immune system to develop antibodies. They must follow higher safety standards than other drugs because they are given to millions of healthy people.

Vaccines in phase 3 clinical trials

University of Oxford/AstraZeneca:

The University of Oxford vaccine is delivered via a chimpanzee virus, called the vaccine vector. The vector contains the genetic code of the protein spikes found on the coronavirus and triggers a strong immune response in the human body. The vaccine is in a combined phase 2/3 trial in the UK and has recently gone into phase 3 trials in South Africa and Brazil.

Moderna/NIAIDAmerican biotech company; Moderna is developing a vaccine candidate using messenger RNA (or mRNA for short) to trick the body into producing viral proteins itself. No mRNA vaccine has ever been approved for an infectious disease, and Moderna has never brought a product to market. But proponents of the vaccine say it could be easier to mass produce than traditional vaccines.

Sinovac: Chinese company Sinovac is developing a vaccine based on inactivated Covid-19 particles. The vaccine has shown a promising safety profile in the early stages of testing and is now moving into Phase 3 trials in Brazil.

Wuhan Institute of Biological Products/Sinopharm: The SinoPharm is developing an inactivated vaccine, which entered domestic phase I and II trials in April, said results from both phases were positive and without serious side effects. SinoPharm was approved at the end of June to begin international phase III clinical trials and [the vaccine] could be on the market by the end of the year. The company launched Phase III trial of Covid-19 vaccine in UAE.

BioNTech/Fosun Pharma/Pfizer: Pfizer and BioNTech Choose Lead mRNA Vaccine Candidate Against COVID-19 and Commence Pivotal Phase 2/3 Global Study.
The companies announced the start of a global (except for China) Phase 2/3 safety and efficacy clinical study to evaluate a single nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) candidate from their BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine program against SARS-CoV-2.