A trio of National Institutes of Health scientists are urging the international scientific and medical community to pursue a universal coronavirus vaccine to prevent future outbreaks. In a commentary published in the New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med December 2021), Anthony S. Fauci, MD, Jeffery K. Taubenberger, MD, PhD, and David M. Morens, MD, describe the urgent need for such a vaccine. Although the available COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, it is unclear how long immunity will last; moreover, the SARS-CoV-2 virus could continue to circulate, and new animal coronaviruses could emerge at any time.
The authors' suggested approach involves first sampling coronaviruses from bats and other animals to catalog the range of genetic diversity of existing coronaviruses, characterizing the pathogenesis of coronaviruses in laboratory animal models and people, and using that information to develop a broadly protective coronavirus vaccine.
Source: asamonitor.pub/3pZiYds
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