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What You Need to Know About a COVID-19 Vaccine

What do you know about vaccines for COVID-19?

Probably not much, as there isn’t much to know yet except that we don’t have one…

What You Need to Know About a COVID-19 Vaccine

If you are like most folks, the one thing you want to know is when will we have a COVID-19 vaccine.

Unfortunately, that’s hard to know.

The first COVID-19 vaccines are weeks away... from the first phase of testing.
The first COVID-19 vaccines are weeks away… from the first phase of testing.

Even if manufactures get a quick COVID-19 vaccine made, it will take months to years before it completes each phase of testing to make sure it is safe and effective and becomes available for general use.

“Scientists were able to sequence the genome of the virus and develop several promising vaccine candidates in a matter of days, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is already preparing up to eight promising vaccine candidates for clinical trials. If one or more of these vaccines proves safe and effective in animal models, they could be ready for larger-scale trials as early as June.”

How to respond to COVID-19

On the bright side, at least 31 candidate vaccines are in pre-clinical development!

A shipped COVID-19 vaccine is not what it sounds like. It hasn't been shipped anywhere so that you can actually get it...
A shipped COVID-19 vaccine is not what it sounds like. It hasn’t been shipped anywhere so that you can actually get it…

Development that will take at least 12 to 18 months.

But if it takes 12 to 18 months to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, a time when many people have likely already been infected, will it do any good?

Of course!

A vaccine will prevent additional cases, especially protecting high risk people who haven’t been infected yet. And they will be especially important if SARS-CoV-2 becomes a seasonal coronavirus with a high mortality rate that we continue to see each year.

While a candidate COVID-19 vaccine might go into phase I trials in 6 to 8 weeks, then it will take three months to show that it is safe, and then it would go into a phase II trial to show it works. Dr. Fauci says that the entire process to show that a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective would take at least a year to a year and a half.
While a candidate COVID-19 vaccine might go into phase I trials in 6 to 8 weeks, then it will take three months to show that it is safe, and then it would go into a phase II trial to show it works. Dr. Fauci says that the entire process to show that a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective would take at least a year to a year and a half.

Until then, we can continue to work to protect ourselves, prevent infections, and seek medical attention (call ahead!) if you think you have been exposed and are sick with SARS-CoV-2.

More on COVID-19 Vaccines

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