VIDO InterVac working on two-pronged approach for its COVID vaccine

At a time when COVID-19 vaccines are plentiful in Canada, there are some countries in the world that still barely have any.

Volker Gerdts, the director and CEO of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) – International Vaccine Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, is hoping to change that with its vaccine that is continuing the second phase of clinical trials.

“We want to make our vaccine available to low- and middle-income countries. Our vaccine offers a number of advantages. It’s easy to transport, easy to store and easy to handle,” said Gerdts.

“We think it’s the ideal vaccine for continents like Africa, Asia or South America where people still don’t have access to the vaccine.”

Health Canada has also tapped VIDO-InterVac to develop a COVID-19 booster shot for Canadians.

“So (we’d be) going to already-vaccinated individuals who have received any of the authorized vaccines, give them time for their responses to drop and then use our vaccine to demonstrate that we can boost it — meaning we can bring the immune response up again,” Gerdts said.

Those trials will begin in the spring of next year, he said.

Gerdts says more people need to get vaccinated

Gerdts said to bend the current COVID-19 curve Saskatchewan is on, the province will need more people rolling up their sleeves.

He said the virus spreading through the unvaccinated creates a potential breeding ground for new variants.

“To me, that’s the most (risk) in all of this,” said Gerdts.

“If tomorrow we see variants where our vaccines don’t work, we’re all going to be in big trouble again. We’ll still have some level of immunity, but it won’t be as effective so our hospitals may be even fuller than they are now.”

While health experts have tossed around the vaccination level needed to achieve herd immunity, Gerdts said the best outcome is for everyone to just get the jab.