It’s hard to believe that just two years ago, Victorians were battling through the world’s longest Covid-19 lockdown. And while there’s no doubt things have returned to normal with 'rona just a distant memory for many, the fight against this infectious disease continues behind the scenes.
And now, in promising news from the Doherty Institute, it has been revealed that two Melbourne-made Covid-19 vaccines have shown great potential in protecting against the many deadly mutations of the Omicron variation. A phase one trial of the vaccines as fourth-round boosters returned solid results that were considered positive enough to kick-start discussions with an international manufacturer about rolling the vaccine out across the globe.
“A total of 76 people took place in the vaccine trial, with 12 people receiving a placebo of water and the others receiving the vaccines at different doses,” said Professor Terry Nolan. “Both vaccines show very, very encouraging results against the targeted variant and also against other variants which have subsequently evolved.”
There was no evidence to suggest adverse reactions from any participants, with the vaccine provoking the preferred immune responses.
While Australia and the rest of the world are far better prepared to handle another pandemic than back in 2020, the need to prepare for any potential outbreaks means ongoing research like this is critical. And let’s be honest, we’ll take an extra booster shot over another 262 days locked in our houses any day.