1.1. It's only the current restrictions that are preventing more people from dying.
1.2. Vaccines teach our bodies to fight the infection by stopping us from catching coronavirus, or at least making Covid less deadly.
2. PAUSED or ABANDONED: If investigators observe worrying symptoms in volunteers, they can pause the trial. After an investigation, the trial may resume or be abandoned.
3. what do I need to know about coronavirus?
3.1. LOCKDOWN LOOK-UP: The rules in your area
3.2. SOCIAL DISTANCING: Can I give my friends a hug?
3.3. PAY-PACKET SUPPORT: What do chancellor's plans mean for wages?
3.4. SUPPORT BUBBLES: What are they and who can be in yours?
3.5. SYMPTOMS: What are they and how to guard against them?
4. Who will get the vaccine first?
4.1. This depends on where Covid is spreading when the vaccine becomes available and in which groups each is most effective. Older care home residents and staff top the UK's preliminary priority list, followed by health workers like hospital staff, and the over-80s. Age is, by far, Covid's biggest risk factor
5. Coronavirus vaccine tracker
5.1. 41 vaccines testing safety and dosage
5.2. 22 vaccines in expanded safety trials
5.3. 20 vaccines in large scale efficacy tests
5.4. 8 vaccines in early or limited use
5.5. 2 vaccines approved for full use
5.6. 1 vaccine abandoned after trials
6. The Vaccine Testing Process
6.1. PRECLINICAL TESTING: Scientists test a new vaccine on cells and then give it to animals such as mice or monkeys to see if it produces an immune response.
6.2. PHASE 1 SAFETY TRIALS: Scientists give the vaccine to a small number of people to test safety and dosage, as well as to confirm that it stimulates the immune system.
6.3. PHASE 2 EXPANDED TRIALS: Scientists give the vaccine to hundreds of people split into groups, such as children and the elderly, to see if the vaccine acts differently in them. These trials further test the vaccine’s safety.
6.4. PHASE 3 EFFICACY TRIALS: Scientists give the vaccine to thousands of people and wait to see how many become infected, compared with volunteers who received a placebo. These trials can determine if the vaccine protects against the coronavirus, measuring what’s known as the efficacy rate. Phase 3 trials are also large enough to reveal evidence of relatively rare side effects.
6.5. APPROVAL: Regulators review the complete trial results and plans for a vaccine’s manufacturing, and decide whether to give it full approval
6.6. COMBINED PHASES: One way to accelerate vaccine development is to combine phases. Some vaccines are now in Phase 1/2 trials, for example, which this tracker would count as both Phase 1 and Phase 2.
7. Would a vaccine protect everyone?
7.1. People respond differently to immunisation. History suggests any vaccine could be less successful in old people because an aged immune system does not respond as well, as happens with the annual flu jab. But data so far suggests this may not be a problem with some of Covid vaccines Multiple doses may overcome any problems, as could giving it alongside a chemical (called an adjuvant) that boosts the immune system.
