KARACHI: Pakistani researchers working under government-approved projects have expressed confidence that they can develop a vaccine for coronavirus, but added that the process could take nine months or more.
As of Sunday, authorities said 50 people had died while 3,200 had tested positive for the virus in the country.
“We are actively engaged in vaccination development. It will be clinical trials on animals first and then humans... the process will not take less than nine months, could even take more than that.”
Dr. Javed Akram, who is leading a government-sanctioned series of clinical trials for the vaccine, told Arab News on Saturday.
Dr. Akram, who is also a Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) in Lahore, said that the process began on Friday after Professor Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Chairman of Prime Minister’s National Task Force on Science and Technology authorized him to lead the clinical trials for the vaccine, last week.
It follows a breakthrough by Pakistani scientists and researchers who detected a genetic mutation of the coronavirus through genome sequencing – a process which reveals the order of bases present in the entire genome of an organism and is an essential step in the necessary research for clinical diagnosis and the development of vaccines and drugs.
Since the breakthrough, Dr. Akram said they had conducted genome sequencing for the coronavirus in two separate trials, in Karachi and Lahore.
Experts say the studies reveal that the virus is mutative, which means that “it can adjust to local conditions” which are slightly different from Wuhan – the epicenter of the epidemic in China which led to the coronavirus outbreak, killing more than 65,000 and impacting more than a million people across the world.
“The process revealed that the sequence of this virus is slightly different from the Wuhan virus with few mutations,” Professor Dr. Saeed Khan, a virologist at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi, and a member of the team that conducted the trials told Arab News.
On Wednesday, DUHS said it had conducted the genetic sequencing of the virus – obtained from a locally-infected 15-year-old boy – by collaborating with the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) in Karachi.
Dr. Akram confirmed that the tests showed that the coronavirus’ strain in Pakistan was mutative but said that it was not “clinically significant.”
“We have also done (genetic sequencing) and (it was detected) that mutations of the virus are taking place, but they are not very significant because these changes are not major – only 3-5 percent mutations are detected,” he said.
The research further revealed that two types of coronavirus strains, S-Strain and L-Strain, are spreading around the world.
“The study shows that the L-strain was derived from the older S-strain. The genetic sequencing shows that the virus was L-strain that is more aggressive and spreads rapidly,” Professor Khan said.
DUHS now plans to develop the vaccines, which researchers say requires funding – a request for which has been sent to the relevant authorities.
“We want to develop a vaccine that would be effective for all strains of the virus,” Professor Khan said.
Pakistani scientists get government nod to develop coronavirus vaccine
https://arab.news/p8yxp
Pakistani scientists get government nod to develop coronavirus vaccine
- Researchers say process awaits funding, could take nine months or more
- Clinical trials conducted after experts detected a genetic mutation of the virus through genome sequencing
Pakistan expresses solidarity with Australia as gunmen kill at least 12 in Bondi Beach shooting
- Gunmen targeted people gathered at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach to celebrate Jewish Hannukah festival
- Pakistan, itself a victim of “terrorism,” condemns violence against innocent civilians, says President Zardari
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari expressed solidarity with Australia on Sunday as gunmen killed at least 12 people and wounded a dozen others in the Bondi Beach shooting that targeted the Jewish community in the country.
New South Wales (NSW) police said two people had been taken into custody, and the Australian Broadcasting Corp. said one of at least two gunmen was among those killed. Around a dozen people were taken to local hospitals after the shooting, an NSW ambulance spokesperson said.
The attackers targeted a large group gathered at the northern end of Sydney’s Bondi Beach, near or at Bondi Park playground, as per news reports, when the attack happened. Gunmen attacked people who were there to celebrate an event related to the Jewish festival of Hannukah.
“President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed sorrow over the tragic shooting in Sydney, conveyed condolences to the victims’ families & wished the injured a speedy recovery,” the president of Pakistan’s official account on X wrote.
“Pakistan itself a victim of terrorism, stands in solidarity with & condemns violence against innocent civilians.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the Sydney attack, expressing condolences with victims of the incident.
“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he wrote on X.
As per international media reports, one of the gunmen has been identified as Naveed Akram from Bonnyrigg in Sydney’s southwest. His country of origin remains unclear.
One of the world’s most famous beaches, Bondi is typically crowded with locals and tourists, especially on warm weekend evenings.
Videos circulating on X appeared to show people on the beach and nearby park scattering as multiple gunshots and police sirens could be heard. One video showed a man dressed in a black shirt firing a large weapon before being tackled by a man in a white T-shirt who wrestled his weapon off him. A different man was seen firing a weapon from a pedestrian bridge.
Another video showed two men pressed onto the ground by uniformed police on a small pedestrian bridge. Officers could be seen trying to resuscitate one of the men. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.
The attack came almost exactly 11 years after a lone gunman took 18 people hostage at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney. Two hostages and the gunman were killed after a 16-hour standoff.
