As we approach the one year mark of the emergence of The Corona Virus, you may be wondering if or when a vaccine will be available. The consensus at this point seems to be that a vaccine will be released any time from this winter to mid 2021. Two vaccines have been approved, both of which have been developed in Russia, but neither have finished Phase III of clinical trials. These vaccines are obviously not available within the United States, but the strides science is making towards a vaccine are tremendous.
Before any vaccine can be administered, it must go through many many trials. Phase I includes injecting a small group of people with this vaccine and observing for side effects and the correct dosage. Phase II includes hundreds of people of different ages and health statuses, to further account for how a vaccine could affect different groups. Phase III is giving the vaccine to thousands of people. After these three trials are completed in The United States, the next step is for the FDA to review the results of the first three phases and conduct any other research necessary to release the vaccine.
The search for a vaccine has created a somewhat global race. All of the most developed countries are searching for a vaccine, and in some ways they are competing to be the first country to release one. Here in America, Pfizer, a leading pharmaceutical company, is developing a vaccine as well. Pfizer worked in cohorts with a German drugmaker called BioNTech. In the last few days Pfizer has released promising information on their vaccine. The vaccine has recently completed Phase III testing, and claims to be 90% effective. With this kind of result, they will be asking the FDA for authorization. They have stated they will be taking this step by the end of this month, and by the end of this year will have enough vaccines to vaccinate 15 to 20 million people.
The fast moving development of this vaccine has raised some concerns. How can this vaccine be distributed equitably? Will the release of a vaccine lead to corruption, in which the wealthiest receive the vaccine first? Will it be distributed on a needs basis, going to the elder and immunocompromised first? Will this vaccine cause long term effects that could not have been anticipated in such a short trial? How will the transition to a new term and a new president affect this?We are living in unprecedented times, and even the top scientists can’t or have yet to answer these questions.
This vaccine has been on the minds of Black Knights in recent days: A junior at C.H.S., when asked their thoughts on the vaccine said “I don’t like it. It has been proven to kill people, literally.” Although there has been no conclusive evidence that a COVID vaccine has been correlated with death, it is a very new vaccine and the side effects could possibly be negative.
88.2% of C.H.S. students said they knew that a vaccine was being developed. Ava Karoliussen said “I won’t trust it until I see mass results”. A sophomore said, “A vaccine will likely take a while to be created, perfected, and permitted by the CDC. A vaccine for COVID-19 would be great! Although, there will probably be a wait, and when there is an approved vaccine, it will be hard to distribute it equally.” Well said! All in all, most C.H.S. students were excited but cautious at the prospect of a new vaccine. As always, stay safe and informed Black Knights!