For COVID-19, countries are getting so desperate that they're running human challenge trials or using vaccines that haven't passed phrase 3. What's the plan for the next pandemic? How will global pathogen sampling from nature generate vaccines that work against emerging threats?
https://twitter.com/BallouxFrancois/status/1309128966750588939
Some countries are in such dire straits that they have made deals to allow Chinese Sinovac to perform phase 3 tests on their citizens. "The company is also planning clinical trials with thousands of volunteers in India, Brazil and Bangladesh." washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pac…
Other countries are considering giving up their territory or military alliances to ensure that they have priority access to vaccines. ft.com/content/853775…
Let's say that we have entered an era of pandemics. What measurably productive surveillance or vaccine strategies are being funded? What will developing countries have left to barter with for access to vaccines if a pandemic occurs every 5-10 years? abcnews.go.com/Health/covid-1…
If SARS2 emerged from recent spillover from animals into humans, we should be a lot more worried about re-emergence of a similar virus this winter. With SARS1, animal-to-human spillover occurred 2 winters in a row. Thankfully found the intermediate host within a week in Jan 2004.
If SARS2 emerged from pre-circulation in humans for months/years, those still-missing precursors or sibling SARS viruses could also be one step away from adapting into a highly transmissible form, seeding near future outbreaks.
In this sense, I’m not sure why people who are sure that this virus is 100% natural aren’t urging international investigations to find the source of recent spillover/intermediate hosts or pre-circulating human SARS2. Going to SE Asia to find bat CoV SARS2 ancestors doesn’t count.
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