It's that time of the year again

It was a typical day in March when everything became chaotic. Panic filled the hearts of people that day, and for the unforeseen future. Suddenly, everybody was scrambling to buy masks and alcohol, as well as booking flights home. And now, a year later, we are still caught up in the limbo that is quarantine.

This meme may be seen while scrolling through social media, and although humorous, it is somewhat true. Most of us experienced a year which was both slow yet ironically fast at the same time. However, it was a different story for scientists, researchers, and healthcare professionals. As we anxiously waited, there were, and still are, many who have been rapidly developing and testing a vaccine which can save us from the pandemic.

Now that we are in our “anniversary”, which by no means warrants a celebration, let us recount the brief history of the pandemic.

Beginning of the “End”

Everything began on the 9th of January 2020 when WHO announced the existence of a novel coronavirus found in Wuhan, China. At this point, WHO was unsure as to the widescale effect of the virus, and whether or not it may be considered a pandemic. By January 30, the virus had already crossed over to the Philippines when a 38-year-old Chinese woman tested positive for the virus. The first death came on the 2nd of February. On the 25th of February 2020, CDC stated that the virus is on its way to becoming a pandemic. The Philippines was a sitting duck, with no announcements of closing borders or of procuring test kits. We were assured that there was no need to worry as the virus “will die on its own''.

Of course, this came to bite us back when the number of positive cases continued to rise. Borders were finally closed on March 12, 2020 as the number of cases totaled to 52. For UP Manila students, classes were cancelled for a week. Many booked flights back to their respective provinces. Little did we know that we would not be getting on the return flight back to Manila. At home, we watched as the number of cases rose everyday. When the string of continuous lockdowns started, there was little anybody could do. Many lost their jobs and suffered from hunger. With no way of moving from place to place, many were also stranded. Efforts from the government, private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) aimed to lessen the burden on those who received the brunt of the lockdowns.

Tick Tock says the Covid Clock

While everyone was experiencing their own version of lockdown, researchers were now on a race against time to develop a COVID vaccine. Vaccine development is by no means an easy task. It takes years of research and trials, 10 to 15 years on average, to develop a vaccine. However, the virus does not give such considerations. Lives are continuously lost with every passing day. On March 30, 2020, the US launched Operation Warp Speed (OWS) which aimed to develop the vaccine as quickly as possible. Many pharmaceutical companies began vaccine development as well.

It must be noted that for this virus in particular, its spike protein is the component which must be recognized by the body for it to develop antibodies. Two pharmaceutical companies, Moderna and Pfizer, having known this, decided to realize a theory in their vaccine development. Usual vaccines contain deactivated viruses (viruses that have been made less virulent). When the vaccine is injected, the body commands B cells to create antibodies against these relatively harmless viruses. However, such methods do have drawbacks, such as increased risk of infection. Thus, Moderna and Pfizer took steps to develop a new way of producing vaccines: mRNA vaccines. In this method, messenger RNA (mRNA) is injected, and the ribosome reads the mRNA like a manual and builds its own SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The body then recognizes these spike proteins and creates the antibodies. This method takes less time in terms of vaccine production, and causes less risk of infection.

Light at the end of the tunnel?

Over time, people began to cope with the new situation. Universities opened virtually. DepEd classes began to resume by October through modules. Our lockdowns kept changing names, and slowly, people started to go back to work. Businesses opened with several limitations in accommodation capacity, and with health protocols in place. Wearing face masks and social distancing was now the new normal.

By June 14 and August 12, 2020, in the field of pharmaceuticals, Moderna and Pfizer began publishing their Phase I/II clinical data. The results were promising, despite the small sample size. Phase III trials began soon after. Pfizer’s and Moderna’s data showed an efficacy rate reaching up to 95%. With these results, it was possible to gain the authorization of the Food and Drug Administration. At the end of the year, vaccines were already being churned out. However, its accessibility is not for every country. February of the year 2021 came, and there was still no sign that vaccines will be administered to the masses in the Philippines. Meanwhile, cold-storage facilities were being prepared for the arrival of the vaccine. We were set to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Unfortunately, these were limited in supply. Thus, instead of Pfizer, we received 600, 000 doses of CoronaVac, a vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech Limited in Beijing. This vaccine made use of the traditional way of developing vaccines, which was through the inactivated virus. This vaccine had its Phase III trials conducted in Brazil which proved to be 50.4% effective. It was also tested in Indonesia, proving itself to be 65.3% effective.

Last March 1, 2021, Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, PGH’s director became the first to receive the vaccine, CoronaVac, in the country. Several mishaps and delays later, the vaccine will supposedly start being administered to the masses. After about a year, we have something to look forward to, even if it is a vaccine we are unsure of. Everyone went through different kinds of struggles. Some of us tried to cope through TikTok, Among Us or Netflix. Some did not get to experience 2021 at all. Some continued to go to work diligently despite the risk of being infected. We are now exhausted financially, mentally, emotionally, and physically. What is left for us now is to demand for a future where we can go outside safely and do the things we used to do. With the vaccination program, maybe time can continue to flow as we look forward to gaining back a little bit of our freedom.