As the spread of the Coronavirus continues to be intensified by the holiday season, people are looking towards the hope of a possible vaccine. When asked about how the quarantine has affected his life, Luke Hunter, a sophomore, said, “It’s been boring...I can’t do sports... I can’t go to church, I can’t hang out with friends.”
A member of Luke’s family is highly vulnerable to COVID-19 so he has been unable to participate in sports and other activities to ensure the safety of his family. The prospect of a possible vaccine gives a lot of hope to kids who have had to stay at home to protect their families.
Luke says a vaccine would “make my life a lot better...I could do sports… it would be less stressful.”
The American public is hearing good news for the first time and people finally have some hope to hold on to through these hard times with the emergence of several possible vaccines. So what are these new vaccines? Who will get them first and how effective are they?
While it is true that effective vaccines are in the making, they do not entail the end of the pandemic anytime soon. Widespread distribution of a vaccine is an extremely difficult task to complete, and according to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, only 51 percent of Americans said they probably or definitely would take the vaccine if it were immediately available. This is because of concerns over the safety, effectiveness, and side effects of a possible vaccine. Another complicating factor is that the vaccine developed by the biotech company Pfizer has to be kept at -94 degrees Fahrenheit while being shipped.
Despite this, there is good news. The leading producer of the vaccine, Moderna, has made significant progress in developing the effectiveness of their vaccine. A recent 30,000 person trial found that only 11 people contracted the virus, meaning the vaccine has a 94.1% efficiency rate, an overwhelmingly positive number. Even more surprising, of the 30,000 people given doses of Coronavirus, zero people had a severe case of COVID-19.
Currently, there are two vaccines that have proven to be effective, the aforementioned Moderna, and Pfizer. Both Moderna and Pfizer are awaiting an emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration until they can start to distribute the vaccine.They also have to wait until the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes recommendations for who will get the vaccine first. Whenever both of these things happen, distribution should begin.
The CDC is going to hold a public meeting on December 1st to decide on who will get the vaccines first, but it is expected that they will decide that health care workers and people living in nursing homes will be recommended to get immunized first. People in nursing homes account for most deaths related to Coronavirus so getting them immunized is a top priority. According to the CDC, around 39 percent of COVID-19 deaths occur in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. After health workers and people in nursing homes, essential workers may possibly get the vaccine next. The general public will most likely not have access to the vaccine until around April or May.
This vaccine could really turn the tides of the pandemic and bring a lot of change, and it is good to finally have something to look forward to, even if public vaccine distribution will not be happening for a while.
Some people such as myself have been able to play sports and go to school under limitations, but some people have not been able to do anything. This vaccine could change that and allow people to return to their normal activities knowing that their family members are safe.
Written by: Nathan Bishop
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