Dr. Fauci is optimistic about the new year, but health officials are preparing for late October.
Some say we are on the cusp of the moment many of us have been waiting for: the vaccine reveal. Like a new iPhone coming out, the release of an effective COVID-19 vaccine will no doubt be a global event. Of course, the Russians have already beaten other countries to it in some sense. They have developed a vaccine that works effectively. It triggered the production of COVID-19 antibodies in all participants who took it in a small study. Now the trick is to complete large scale trials to ensure it is safe for all people to use, especially those who need it most such as the elderly and people living with underlying health conditions.
Will the US catch up? America is reported to have invested millions of dollars into developing eight coronavirus vaccines.This is being done as part of Operation Warp Speed and some of them are in their final trials. These vaccines usually take up to about ten years to develop but obviously humanity cannot wait that long, hence, people are working at “warp speed”.
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How it has been possible to condense a decade’s worth of work into just months is somewhat baffling. Obviously when it comes to a coronavirus vaccine, so many heads are working together at developing a solution and so much money is being thrown at the project that it could actually be running that much more quickly. But are we really going to see a COVID-19 vaccine before Christmas?
Dr. Anthony Fauci previously predicted that a coronavirus vaccine could be available widely for use by next spring. Now, reports are indicating it could be available to us as early as the end of October. It can be difficult to tell what to expect.
According to a recent report on CNN, Fauci said that, while clinical trials involving thousands of participants are expected to be finished by the end of 2020, they could end sooner. If the results of the trials are overwhelmingly positive or negative, they could stop. An independent board could possibly stop them prematurely. In fact, Fauci says that if either of these scenarios were the case, researchers would have a moral obligation to end the trials early. If this was done because the trial results were amazingly good, the vaccine would need to be made available to the general public rapidly
Fauci also cautions that any decisions to release a vaccine need to be made knowing the vaccine is perfectly safe. Nothing can happen simply as a result of political pressure.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reportedly told public health officials in the US to get prepared to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine as early as late October of this year. This does not mean a vaccine will be out at this time, however. Part of planning during a pandemic is making sure officials are ready to distribute a vaccine as soon as it becomes available. Getting ready for late October ensures officials will definitely be prepared, whenever it arrives.
Fauci advises we keep our earliest hopes in January, at best.
“I believe that by the time we get to the end of this calendar year, that we will feel comfortable that we do have a safe and effective vaccine,” he told viewers on NBC’s Today Show.
We will definitely be living different lives by this time next year, that seems certain. Hey, we may even have the chance to go on a vacation at spring break. Here’s hoping.
photo credits: Melana Lettering/Shutterstock.com
