The world rolled to a standstill when the coronavirus pandemic started. Since then the scientific community has been busy in trying to find and come up with a vaccine that could counter the novel coronavirus.
However, experts have been saying that a potent vaccine won’t be coming anytime soon. Some even claimed that the vaccine won’t be ready until maybe next year, causing many people to be disheartened by the idea that life wouldn’t be back to normal within this year.
Interestingly, scientists in Nigeria are now claiming that they have found a vaccine for the deadly virus, which has infected more than 20,000 and killed 518 in the country, the Guardian first reported.
The scientists from different universities across Nigeria came together for this joint effort in finding a vaccine. The team, led by Oladipo Kolawole, a medical virology, immunology and bioinformatics specialist at Adeleke University in Ede, said that the vaccine they developed is for the inhabitants of Africa.
The study obtained initial funding of 7.8 million Nigerian nairas or $20,000 from the Trinity Immunodeficient Laboratory and Helix Biogen Consult, Ogbomosho.
The process of finding the vaccine was extensive since the team had to explore the SARS-CoV-2 genome from African countries and determine the best potential vaccine candidates.
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“We are glad that a vaccine that will provide a solution to a global problem like Coronavirus pandemic is coming from the garden. 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,” Solomon Adebola, the acting vice-chancellor of the university, said.
It is important to note that thorough analysis and studies are still required for the vaccine to be approved by World Health Organization (WHO). Kolawole said that they expect all these to be realized in 18 months so that the vaccine could be available to the public by that time.
Per CGTN Africa, the highest number of coronavirus cases in the continent was recorded in Egypt with 2,017 deaths. It is followed by South Africa with 1,831 and Algeria with 825.