Universities leading the fight against COVID-19

Scientists, governments, pharmaceutical companies, and many other entities are joining hands in a major effort to fight the ongoing pandemic, by putting all manpower to researching and finding a suitable cure. Scientists and researchers all around the world are racking their brains and putting maximum effort into formulating a viable solution to the raging disease. Universities are powerhouses of research and have the potential to generate innovation. Certain universities are putting together resources to research and identify possible cures in a tremendous effort.

Oxford University is a UK based institution leading the race with their vaccine, known as the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. This vaccine has been the most promising, and some reports have even found that it is safe for the elderly. The vaccine is the closest to being mass-produced as well!

Imperial College, based in London is another prestigious university known for its research output, which is also helping the government control the outbreak. While being helped to make the vaccine by the government, the University is also actively developing statistical models to predict and estimate the rate of the outbreak.

The University of Texas, in the USA, was one of the first universities whose researchers created a 3D atomic model of the virus, specifically of the mechanism which enables it to latch onto human cells. This is ground-breaking research, which provided a much-required boost to other researchers worldwide.

The University of Manchester, a red-brick university known for specialising in a plethora of fields, has been aiding the government through providing a statistical model developed by their mathematical department to aid public protection. Furthermore, their immunology team has been working on studying the effects of the virus on patients, and the long-lasting effects on the lungs.

The impressive list highlights the steps being taken worldwide, in a collaborative manner to fight the virus, and while the list is certainly not exhaustive, it certainly applauds the universities at the forefront of the effort.