US President Donald Trump said a coronavirus vaccine may be available to the public before the year ends or early 2021, which is the original goal of the administration.
“We’re balancing speed and safety and we’re on pace to have a vaccine available this year, maybe far in advance of the end of the year,” Trump said during a White House press briefing. “And we’re mass-producing the most promising candidates in advance so that we’re ready upon approval. We have our military lined up, it’s logistics, it’s all about logistics,” he added.
He cited vaccine candidates from Pfizer and Moderna, which both started late-stage trials for their leading vaccine candidates last week. Senior administration officials reported that the drug companies have already vaccinated “several hundred people.”
Both vaccine candidates utilize mRNA molecules, which scientists hope will develop an immune response to fight the coronavirus.
“These are companies that are not only well know, they are well respected,” Trump said.
Safety and effectiveness
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, health expert and researchers have been speeding up the development of vaccine by carrying out multiple stages of research even though doing so could be for naught if the vaccine has not been proven safe or effective.
Scientists predict that an effective Covid-19 vaccine would be widely available by next year, but there is never a guarantee. Meanwhile, drugmakers are racing to produce millions of doses of vaccines. Experts say there is a chance the coronavirus vaccine will require two doses rather than one, and this could limit the number of people who can receive the vaccine once it becomes available.
Officials must also make sure states have the vials, syringes, and needles for the administration of the vaccine or risk shortages.
Moreover, scientists claim that concerns remain about the reaction of the human body once it has been infected with the coronavirus. According to them, this may have important implications for vaccine development, including how fast it can be distributed to the public.
One important question is whether antibodies developed in response to Covid-19 provide protection against getting infected for the second time. Scientists hope the antibodies could offer some degree of protection against getting Covid-19.
No returning to "normal"
Health experts reiterate there is no returning to “normal” until there is a Covid-19 vaccine. Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed that the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 18 million people worldwide and killed at least 689,922.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House health advisor and top infectious disease expert, has repeatedly said he is “cautiously optimistic” that scientists will create a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year or early 2021. However, he also noted that a vaccine likely would not be “widely available” to the public until “several months” into 2021.
Meanwhile, Trump said Monday he hopes the US will be able to end the pandemic “very, very quickly” once a vaccine becomes available.
“We want to make people better,” he said, noting that the US will initially send the vaccine to areas that need it most.
