A Texas team comes up with a COVID vaccine that could be a global game changer

 

Brigitte Clark 1/18/22

Current Event 10

Palca, J. (2022, January 5). A Texas team comes up with a COVID vaccine that could be a global game changer. NPR. Retrieved January 7, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/01/05/1070046189/a-texas-team-comes-up-with-a-covid-vaccine-that-could-be-a-global-game-changer

 

I read an article titled “A Texas team comes up with a COVID vaccine that could be a global game changer” which was very well written. It started off by giving more information on how the CORBEVAX vaccine is accessible to countries in need of something more affordable than mRNA vaccines. “How to supply lower-income countries with a COVID-19 vaccine that is safe, effective and affordable” (Palca). After this is stated, the article moves onto how the creators of the CORBEVAX vaccine had also made a vaccine for SARS in 2003. This is why they decided to produce an inexpensive COVID-19 vaccine, both SARS and COVID-19 formed from a very similar virus so by modifying their past vaccine, this team could form one to help during the pandemic. Next, it is stated that while these vaccines would be just a dollar to a dollar fifty each, there wasn’t much interest in the US. "We really honestly couldn't get any traction in the U.S., but our mission is always to enable technologies for low- and middle-income countries production and use…” (Palca). Lastly, it was claimed that many doses of the CORBEVAX vaccine were being used in India, however this vaccine is a lot more difficult to adjust to other variants when compared to mRNA vaccines. This aside, the CORBEVAX vaccine is still very helpful because of accessibility to those who need something more affordable.

By having a vaccine such as CORBEVAX, countries that don't have enough money to provide mRNA vaccines can benefit. Over 300 million doses have been sold so far, which shows how much the vaccine can help during a pandemic since more and more people are getting protected from the virus.

While this article is very informative, there are a few things that need to be improved. There was never any explanation included on why the CORBEVAX vaccine can’t be modified as easily as the mRNA vaccines, leaving me wondering if it was just the technology or if there was another factor leading to this. In addition, not much information was provided on why people hadn’t been interested in this vaccine. The US had no interest in it, could it have been because of the other vaccines available? Wouldn’t some want to have a cheaper alternative? While there is information needed to be added to this article, it is still very well written and provides us with more information on why an affordable vaccine can help during a time like the pandemic.