Dr. Muhammad Munir is a Pakistani based English virologist at the University of Lancaster. Since the coronavirus pandemic, he has been part of one of a team that is working on a vaccine for the virus.
Apart from this, he has appeared on multiple international television channels, where he has provided expert advice on the virus and the necessary measures needed to help prevent the spread of the disease.
Recently, he tweeted that the potential vaccine he had been working on has been shortlisted by the World Health Organization along with several others.
The Lancaster University vaccine is now on the World Health Organization landscape. Long way to go but will keep pushing….@LancasterPress @BLSLancasterUni @LancasterUni https://t.co/wxka5ztbGv
— Muhammad Munir (@ViralZoonosis) May 15, 2020
According to WHO, these draft vaccines show the most promise but they aren’t the definitive cure yet with all of these still needing multiple clinical trials.
According to WHO website, “These landscape documents have been prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) for information purposes only concerning the 2019-2020 global of the novel coronavirus. Inclusion of any particular product or entity in any of these landscape documents does not constitute, and shall not be deemed or construed as, any approval or endorsement by WHO of such product or entity (or any of its businesses or activities).”
In the draft list, a vaccine by the University of Lancaster is listed and it shows that currently, it is at the pre-clinical stage. Munir has stated that for over a month, he has tried to reach out to the Government of Pakistan but hasn’t gotten a response from them.