Expert: Multivariate Vaccines Need To Watch Out For Major Epitope Factors

JAKARTA - A virologist from Udayana University Prof. I Gusti Ngurah Kade Mahardika said that the multivariate COVID-19 vaccine needs to pay attention to the major epitope factor or the part that induces important antibodies.

"It depends on the new variant. If it changes in the major epitope, meaning that the part that induces important antibodies, the vaccine is also ineffective," said I Gusti Ngurah Kade Mahardika as quoted by Antara, in Jakarta, Tuesday, February 8.

The statement was made by Mahardika when responding to the research of the Sinovac Research Team on a multivariate vaccine that will be produced to fight other mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Mahardika said the next variant of COVID-19 that would appear in the community would not be predictable.

"At the most, they (Sinovac) contain multi-variant vaccines with strains (variants) of Wuhan, Delta and Omicron," he said.

Mahardika believes that all currently available vaccines have the ability to reduce the risk of severe symptoms in someone exposed to SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, including the Sinovac vaccine product.

"No vaccine is perfect, effective at reducing the risk of only 90 percent is very good," he said.

He said the best effort for the public to protect themselves from COVID-19 at this time was to avoid crowds.

The current health protocol, said Mahardika, is actually not yet fully effective in preventing the virus. Because SARS-CoV-2 can infect humans through the eyes, nose, and mouth.

"Not to mention indirect transmission due to body and clothing contamination. The eyes are not protected by masks. Because people wear masks, people gather and feel safe. It only reduces the risk, say 50 percent," he said.

Earlier in the online discussion agenda, Tuesday, Sinovac Vice President Weining Meng said that his party was currently developing a Corona vaccine that targets many variants and mutations of COVID-19.

He said the vaccine was not only developed to fight one specific mutation, but many variants in the future.

"Later there will be a multivariate version. In this case, Sinovac will develop a multivariate vaccine with an inactivated platform," he said.