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.
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!
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.
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
- Should You Be Tested for COVID-19?
- COVID-19 Hype or Hazard
- Hearing on an Emerging Disease Threat: How the U.S. Is Responding to COVID-19, the Novel Coronavirus
- WHO – DRAFT landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines – 29February2020
- Newer Vaccine Technologies Deployed to Develop COVID-19 Shot
- Doctor uses reach of social media to ease COVID-19 pandemic fears
- Is the vaccine to thwart the new coronavirus stored in a Houston freezer?
- The case for a free or inexpensive coronavirus vaccine
- Coronavirus vaccines are far off, FDA official says, but drugs to treat patients could come sooner
- Coronavirus Infections—More Than Just the Common Cold
- How to respond to COVID-19
- Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
- Fauci: Vaccine at least year away, as COVID-19 death toll rises to 9 in Seattle
- HHS partners with drug makers on COVID-19 vaccine, drugs
- COVID-19 Expert Reality Check
- Trump’s baffling coronavirus vaccine event