One more country claims to discover COVID-19 vaccine

A team of Nigerian scientists claimed to have discovered COVID-19 vaccine that may help prevent the novel coronavirus infection as the global race to find a cure of the deadly virus intensified by different countries around the world.

The researchers of Nigerian Universities’ Scientists, under the aegis of COVID-19 Research Group, announced to discover the coronavirus vaccine on Friday.

The leader of the research team at Adeleke University and a specialist in Medical Virology, Immunology and Bioinformatics, Dr Oladipo Kolawole, told local media that the unnamed vaccine was developed locally in Africa for the natives, however, it would also work for other races when it is unveiled.

Read: Coronavirus could disappear without a vaccine, claims doctor

He said that the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine to the public would take a minimum of 18 months after the approval of medical authorities post completion of its analysis and trials, reported The Guardian Nigeria.

Dr Kolawole said that the research was funded by the Trinity Immunodeficient Laboratory and Helix Biogen Consult, Ogbomosho with roughly 7.8 million Nigerian nairas ($20,000) to find the cure of the novel coronavirus that claimed more than 460,000 lives worldwide so far.

During the research, the scientists had worked to explore the genome of the virus from samples across Africa to select the best potential vaccine candidates. It had made the possible latent constructs after trying out some selected processes of vaccine development, he added.

Read: COVID-19 vaccine: Researchers launch phase-2 human test

“It is our passion to be a solution provider to such a global pandemic, and we are ready to throw our weights behind the team and make the vaccine a reality,” another news website Leadership quoted Dr Oladipo Kolawole.

“The vaccine is real. We have validated it several times. It is targeted at Africans, but will also work for other races. It will work. It cannot be faked. This is a result of the determination. It took a lot of scientific efforts,” Kolawole told reporters at Adeleke University in Nigeria’s Eda state Friday.

“The population of those that need vaccines is more than those that need drugs. That is why the research focused on a vaccine,” he noted.

Read: World’s largest vaccine maker reveals COVID-19 vaccine plans

It is pertinent to mention here that at least 13 experimental COVID-19 vaccines are currently being tested in humans and more than 120 candidates are in earlier stages of development as per the World Health Organization (WHO).

The highest death toll on the continent has been reported in Egypt with 2,017 fatalities, followed by South Africa with 1,831 deaths, Algeria with 825, Sudan with 506 and Nigeria with 475.

The countries with the highest number of cases were South Africa with 87,715, Egypt with 52,211, Nigeria with 18,480 and Algeria with 11,504.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.