The governments of China, Russia, the US and UK are actively seeking to be the first to produce an approved vaccine - which will not only save lives, but could also become an avenue of global influence.
Each major player in the multibillion dollar race is at varying degrees of success, with the motivations of some world leaders shifting over the course of the pandemic.A vaccine must go through multiple stages of research, development and clinical trials before it gets the green light for use by the broader public. Each step can take up to two years or more to complete.
Dr David Smith, a Senior Lecturer in American Politics and Foreign Policy at the University of Sydney, said the pandemic's impact on the US has put pressure on the Trump administration to be the first to find a cure. “There might be resentment towards the US if the US develops it first, and it’s not available to everyone else - if it’s just ‘America First’.”“He prefers the idea that there could be a vaccine that could solve all the problems instead of having to go through things like lockdowns and mask mandates,” Dr Smith said.
In a white paper unveiled by the State Council Information Office earlier this year, the government urged global cooperation, saying the international community should resist finger-pointing and politicising the virus. The announcement sparked concerns among health authorities as human trials had only started a couple of months before the news came through.medical journal last week found that the vaccine, named Sputnik-V, produced an antibody response in all participants in early stage trials conducted in June and July.
"We are ready to assert that the protective effect of this vaccine will be detectable and remain at a proper level for two years, or maybe even more," Professor Gintsburg said, without providing any evidence to back up the claim.
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