Sputnik V: Key to Pandemic Escape

"The key to success is to focus our conscious minds on things we desire, not things we fear." 

It seemed like from the start of 2020, the year took us by surprise as it brought out madness against humanity. Now, we are facing perhaps one of the most threatening outbreaks in history, COVID-19. 

In the span of 5 months, COVID-19 has served as a nationwide jail in the Philippines, wherein an attempt to escape without proper protective gear is a life-or-death gamble. Everyday, Filipinos wonder when a cure to this virus will be discovered to put this catastrophe to a halt.

Many attempts to find the longing COVID-19 key had come and gone, but Russia ended the search as they announced the discovery of their vaccine, the Sputnik V.

The Sputnik V is a Russian vaccine made last August 11 and is the first ever COVID-19 cure to be registered in the market. The vaccine got its name based on the first space satellite launched last 1957.

HOW THE KEY WORKS

When the start of the COVID-19 outbreak happened, Russia extracted a genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, and started making a key out of it through "vectors".

The key, in order to work, acts like a virus but only with a harmless intent in the body. The vaccine will look like a virus to the immune system, then the immune response attacks the SARS-CoV-2.

The adenovirus-based vector became very popular in making the key for a virus. Like COVID-19, there have been many test trials for diseases like HIV, malaria, and Ebola, but Ebola has only been approved for general use.

According to the official Sputnik V website, "human adenoviruses are considered as some of the easiest to engineer in this way and therefore, they have become very popular as vectors."

PHILIPPINES TESTING THE KEY

As of now, Sputnik V is yet to be proved as a legitimate cure for the deadly virus. Clinical test trials have been done with phases according to the amount of healthy people. So far, the Russian key has passed phases 1 and 2. 

As President Rodrigo Duterte urges the supply of Sputnik V in the Philippines, he wants to start clinical test trials in the country in October, while the inoculation will be enforced in May next year.

Eventhough a key to our temporary imprisonment is available, many people are still aren't confident in the effectivity of the vaccine. There have been many illegitimate news about the discovery of the COVID-19 cure that people had second thoughts before believing.

In the end, we hope that this key fits the keyhole to finally release us to these restricted times. We hope that this could be a solution for our frontliners to finally take a well-deserved rest for being the modern heroes of today.