NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 21 – The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) has started the process of developing a vaccine for coronavirus with a possible candidate vaccine prototype expected in October.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a candidate vaccine is a flu virus that has been prepared by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or another public health partner that can be used by vaccine manufacturers to produce a flu vaccine.
The cost of production of the prototype vaccine, according to KEMRI has been projected to be at Sh500 million.
The announcement was made on Tuesday when KEMRI’s Director-General Yeri Kombe led his team at a virtual meeting with the seven-member Senate Ad Hoc committee on coronavirus chaired by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja.
A researcher at the agency who is overseeing its production, Dr. Mumo said the process of growing the virus in the laboratory has already commenced.
The process is being used through the use of mammalian cells which, Dr. Mumo said, would be conducted with a lot of care.
KEMRI officials were reacting following a question raised by nominated Senator Sylvia Kasanga on the steps taken by the agency to manufacture a vaccine.
“All variables constant, the prototype will be ready in the next six months. Thereafter more laboratory tests will be done with the aim of reaching clinical trials which range from phase one to three,” he said.
Mumo said even as the production gets underway, KEMRI is keen on ensuring it follows the standard practice of manufacturing a vaccine as stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO).
He noted that the agency will be reviewing the blood of persons who have tested positive and recovered from the virus followed by the analysis of their immunology.
“We are going to use that approach to identify the antibodies or vaccine candidates based on that where the use of sophisticated machines will be employed,” he said.
While it is likely to take as many as 18 months according to researchers to develop a fully test and safe vaccine, countries around the world are racing against time to develop their own as the global death toll continues to spike with the current number standing at over 167, 000 people by April 21.
In Kenya, the virus has killed 14 people and infected 296.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last week said that only approved and tested COVID-19 vaccine will bring normalcy in the world.
