Thousands of researchers around the world have been working tirelessly to develop a vaccine to treat the novel coronavirus that has wreaked havoc across the globe.
Now, months after the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, researchers are honing in on a possible vaccine.
But, they say it could be two years before any such vaccine would be ready for public consumption.
Challenges to vaccine development
The biggest challenge researchers face when trying to develop vaccines for emerging viruses like SARS-CoV-2 is a lack of information, Dr. Alyson Kelvin, an assistant professor at Dalhousie University’s Toronto campus and a research scientist at the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology, told Global News.
She said because this novel coronavirus only spilled over into the human population a few months ago, researchers were essentially “starting from scratch.”
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“We don’t have a clinical picture, we don’t have a genetic signature, we don’t have the protein signature,” she said. “We know nothing about this virus.”
She said scientists have had to study what the virus is made of and how it behaves in order to develop a target.
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Dr. Matthew Miller, an associate professor at McMaster University’s department of biochemistry and biomedical sciences, said in general, coronaviruses pose a problem for vaccine development.
He explained that’s because researchers don’t have a very good understanding of what type of protection a vaccine would provide for this type of virus.
“For some vaccines, we know really, really specifically what cells in the immune system, for example, are really important for ensuring that you’re protected,” he said.
He said in some cases, scientists are able to measure “with pretty good confidence” whether a person is going to be protected from a virus or not.
But, this is not the case with SARS-CoV-2, Miller said.
“There are questions about how to generate a good protective response and how to measure that and what you need to measure,” he said. “And so that does pose a sort of significant challenge.”
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But, these are not “insurmountable” challenges, said Dr. Natasha Crowcroft, director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the University of Toronto.
She said it’s “reasonable” to be optimistic that a vaccine will be developed.
“People have tried to develop vaccines before, but never have we put this much effort into trying to find something that will work,” she said. “Never have so many approaches been tried.”
She said scientists are trying both traditional and innovative methods, and are hoping to end up with more than one effective vaccine.
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According to Kelvin, the most traditional type of vaccine takes the entire virus and kills it. A patient is then immunized so their immune system can identify the virus before it encounters the live version.
“So, we’re basically educating your immune army to get ready and know what it’s looking for before it has to deal with something that could cause disease,” she said.
This has proven to be a safe and effective type of vaccine for other viruses, Kelvin said, but it takes time to develop.
“We have to get the virus, we have to culture it and make lots and lots of it to kill it,” she said. Researchers then need to confirm the virus has actually been killed, and that the quality of the vaccine is good enough to be given to people, she added.
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She said when it comes to SARS-CoV-2, there are a number of other types of trials underway, including protein-based vaccines, RNA vaccines and DNA vaccines. Each has a different timeline.
Kelvin noted a number of trials already appear to be “promising.”
Miller, too, said he is “very confident” researchers will be successful, saying it’s more likely that we end up with “several different vaccines” than none at all.
He said while the proposed two-year timeline is short, it’s “reasonable.”
Miller said it will allow for adequate pre-clinical and clinical trials while also providing manufacturers time to prepare to mass produce and distribute the vaccines.
“All of that takes time,” he said.
What happens if the virus mutates?
Miller added one “encouraging” thing about the novel coronavirus is that it does not appear to be mutating as quickly as other viruses, like influenza.
That means scientists are able to hone in and understand how the virus works without having to adapt to new changes.
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Crowcroft explained while it’s unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 will mutate significantly, if a vaccine has been developed, scientists would be able to reformulate it.
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She said this would likely be a shorter process than developing the vaccine in the first place because scientists would not be starting from scratch.
This is common practice with the influenza vaccine, she explained.
Kelvin said researchers have already begun working on a pan-coronavirus vaccine, which would be able to treat a wide range of coronaviruses.
She said this vaccine would also account for potential mutations in the virus.
What has the Canadian government said?
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the government will spend $1.1 billion for a national medical and research strategy that would include research into vaccines, treatments and supports for clinical trials.
He has also repeatedly stressed the importance of developing an effective treatment for the virus, saying the country will not return to “normal” until after a vaccine is developed.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trudeau said while trials are underway, the government has begun preparing to distribute vaccines once they become available.
“That is something that we are preparing already in terms of manufacturing and production capacity here in Canada because we know that countries around the world will be producing for their own citizens first and we need to be a part of that as well,” he said.
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Kelvin said when it comes to supporting this research, Canada has “done a really good job.”
“They were much faster than the U.S. to get money out to where it was needed,” she said.
But, she said it is going to take “a lot of coordination” between the government, scientists and manufacturers in order to produce and distribute the vaccines once they are available.
“We need to have that partnership between scientists and industry to get this out to the whole population,” she said.
Moving forward, Kelvin said she would like to see continued support for this type of research.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
