
Context of the News?
The intensity and frequency with which corona virus has taken the world has forced the countries both individually and multilaterally to find the correct vaccine for the COVID-19.
How are people infected with Coronavirus treated currently?
Currently, however, there is no cure for this coronavirus, and treatments are based on the kind of care given for influenza (seasonal flu) and other severe respiratory illnesses, known as "supportive care," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These treatments essentially treat the symptoms, which often in the case of COVID-19 involve fever, cough and shortness of breath. In mild cases, this might simply mean rest and fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) for comfort. In cases where pneumonia inhibits breathing, the treatment involves ventilation with oxygen.
Why can viral infections be tough to treat?
Most viruses consist of three key building blocks: RNA, proteins and lipids. A virus is a parasite — in order to survive, it has to ‘hijack’ a cell and use its resources to reproduce until the host cell dies. It then spreads to and infects new cells. But the simple structure of viruses, the large variety in the environment, and their ability to mutate quickly, makes it difficult to treat viral infections.
What must be taken care in development of a new vaccine?
What are the recent developments?
What World Health Organisation(WHO) is Doing?
For that conducting carefully controlled randomised trials is the one way to go. The WHO has announced clinical trials called the ‘Solidarity Project’. Under this, four drugs or drug combinations will be tested in many countries around the world. These candidates include the anti-Ebola drug, Remdesivir, Chloroquine, anti-HIV drugs, and the Ritonavir/Lopinavir combination, with or without Interferon-beta. Many countries have already signed up for these trials and all drug companies, including CIPLA from India, have agreed to supply sufficient quantities of drugs needed.