Even as curbs have been put on movement of people across the world, a majority of the population is still vulnerable in the absence of a cure for the novel coronavirus.
While Hydroxychloroquine tablets may have received the most media attention as a possible treatment option – or even a prophylactic, among a host of other existing drugs being tested to treat symptoms of COVID-19 – experts say there’s no certainty on how much of it really works.
So, this is our current conundrum: the strict lockdowns or the restrictions cannot go on forever without killing the economy, but neither do we have a cure or immunisation yet. The only other option we can hope for at this point of time is a vaccination and vaccine researchers are running full tilt to develop one.
US had begun its first human trials in March. Oxford in the UK has also recently begun trials on human volunteers – the biggest trial so far, with over 6,000 participants. And then there's also billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, who is hoping to be able to manufacture vaccines in a year, if things go well.
But, how close are we to a vaccine for COVID-19? And what do we know of the current contenders? Tune in to The Big Story!
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)