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The Inquiry: Can we create a universal Covid vaccine?

Can we create a universal Covid vaccine?

14/04/2022 GMT

BBC World Service - The Inquiry, Can we create a universal Covid vaccine?

Can scientists develop a vaccine which can combat the coronavirus and all its variants?

Can scientists develop a vaccine to fight the coronavirus variants we know about, and the ones we have yet to meet?

Can scientists develop a vaccine which can combat the coronavirus and all its variants? 

There have been three lethal outbreaks caused by coronaviruses this century: SARS in 2002, MERS in 2012 and now SarsCov2. Scientists predict we will eventually encounter SarsCov3. 

That’s why the race is on to develop a universal vaccine to combat the coronaviruses and variants we know about, and the ones we have yet to confront. But attempts to create a universal vaccine for viruses such as influenza and HIV have been going on for decades - without success. 

Before 2020, proposals to create a vaccine against coronaviruses were not thought important enough to pursue since many just cause the common cold.  

Now that we understand their real threat, can scientists succeed in creating a vaccine to fight this large family of viruses? 

Produced and presented by Sandra Kanthal


(image: Covid vaccines/Getty creative)

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