Stating that the vaccine studies carried out to combat Covid-19, which is effective worldwide, are promising, Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay said that if the vaccine to be found is effective, it may be easier to control the outbreak.
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay said, "The pandemic will not cut like a knife and disappear in a few months. However, if an effective vaccine emerges, it will be very easy to take it under control."
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay, Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine, Advisor to the Rector, Director of NPFUAM, said that the studies carried out both in our country and in the world regarding the Covid-19 vaccine are promising.
Recognizing the enemy facilitates strategy development
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay stated that vaccine studies have been going on for a long time and said, "Vaccine studies for these types of viruses were being carried out before. In addition, the world had foresight and preparation for such a virus pandemic (some unfortunately combined this with conspiracy theories). In short, the world already had a good infrastructure and advanced technology in vaccine technology against this type of virus infection. Covid-19 was identified in a short time and all its characteristics were revealed. If you know the enemy, it is very easy to develop a strategy against it. Therefore, it is normal and expected that vaccine studies have reached the point we are at within a year. I had already mentioned in many interviews I gave at the beginning of the pandemic that the vaccine was likely to be ready at around this time. I find it very promising for the control of the pandemic that the vaccines are about to be used now."
Vaccine studies consist of several phases
Noting that the time required for a vaccine to be scientifically accepted is not fixed but variable, Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay made the following assessments regarding the general process of vaccine studies:
"This period is not fixed but variable. It depends on the microorganism causing the disease and how ready the technological infrastructure you will develop against it is. However, no matter which strategy you use to produce a vaccine, there are certain stages you must go through. The road to a vaccine starts with the isolation of the virus and then in vitro and in vivo animal studies. We can also call these the preclinical period. The vaccine candidate must first be shown to provide good protection in experimental animals without any noticeable side effects or reactions. If it has achieved this, human studies, which we call the clinical phase, begin. This consists of various phases in which the number of people tested gradually increases and eventually the protective capacity is determined in a larger human population in different regions and centers."
Widespread use in the world
Stating that a few vaccines that are currently talked about a lot in the world seem to have successfully completed these processes, Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay said, "In the next stages, it can be licensed and widely used in humans. So far, the Russian Ministry of Health has licensed a vaccine they produced and it is being used in Russia. It is pleasing and promising to reach protection rates of 90% in a large number of subjects, especially with a reliable method we call double-blind controlled."
Vaccine studies in Turkey also give hope
Referring to the vaccine studies in Turkey, Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay said: "Turkey is currently about 6 months to 1 year behind the vaccines that are about to be licensed. TÜBİTAK has gathered groups working on vaccines under one roof. This may speed up the process. However, it seems difficult for Turkey to approve its own vaccine in a few months and put it into widespread use as in Russia. However, as far as I know, Turkey has been included in the Phase III phase of the most promising vaccine projects with Hacettepe and Istanbul Universities. This may provide an advantage for us to obtain the marketed vaccine easily and cheaply. At the first stage, sufficient doses may not be available for a widespread vaccination. In this process, it can be administered to healthcare personnel, police, soldiers and some high-risk individuals. It is especially important to protect healthcare personnel. I think it will take a little more time for widespread application to the public. This depends entirely on the amount of dose to be produced and the conditions under which it will be offered to you. Even if there is enough dose, the high price may also be a limitation, but I don't think the price will be kept high."
The pandemic will not disappear immediately
Noting that if the Covid-19 vaccine is found, if it is effective, it may be easier to control the pandemic, Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay said, "The pandemic will not cut like a knife and disappear in a few months. However, if an effective vaccine emerges, it will be very easy to take it under control. The supply of adequate doses and widespread vaccination will be effective factors here. The longer the vaccine provides protection and the more people it can be administered to, the shorter the time it will take for the pandemic to disappear. At the moment, it is difficult to give an exact deadline," he said.
Most vaccine opponents will also get the Covid-19 vaccine
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay stated that the anti-vaccine campaigners have fallen silent during the Covid-19 process and said, "The anti-vaccine campaigners were silent during Covid-19. They know they will get a lot of reaction. When an effective vaccine emerges, I think that most of them will definitely get their vaccines and continue their activities after the pandemic passes. Anti-vaccination is fed from different sources. Unfortunately, there are scientists who try to use this and become popular. What happens to ignorant people," he said.