Axios
The coronavirus vaccines have sparked expectations
No matter how hard you squint, or from what angle you look at it, the coronavirus vaccines are a triumph. They save lives today; they will eventually help end this pandemic; and they will pay scientific dividends for generations. The whole picture: the pandemic is not over. There are still major threats and major problems to solve. But for all the things that have gone wrong over the past year, the vaccines have shattered even the most ambitious expectations. Supports safe, smart, sensible journalism. Sign up here for Axios newsletters. The vaccines are an ‘amazing scientific achievement for the world … unprecedented in the history of vaccination,’ says Dan Barouch, a Harvard virology and vaccination expert who worked on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. : The development of a vaccine takes an average of ten years – if it works at all. Despite years of well-funded research, there are still no vaccines for HIV or malaria. We now have several COVID-19 vaccines, all of which have been developed in less than a year. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are the world’s first successful mRNA vaccines. – which, to simplify it, teaches our bodies to generate an immune response without relying on attenuated or inactivated viruses. This is a milestone that scientists have been working on for 30 years. The Moderna vaccine is the first licensed product of its kind. Most importantly, all the leading vaccines work very well. All four vaccines or vaccine candidates in the US – from Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson – appear to be causing coronavirus deaths. and to provide total or almost complete protection against serious diseases. Some of the vaccines are more effective at preventing mild or asymptomatic infections than others, but all exceed the FDA’s threshold to be considered effective. The catch: South Africa stopped the distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Sunday because it appears to be not working against it. the dangerous variant discovered there – which is spreading all over the world. The other vaccine manufacturers also said that their products are not as effective against the South African variant. But that’s a reason for the rest of the world to rely on existing vaccines. not to be wary of them. Viruses can mutate when they are widespread. The best defense against widespread variants is to vaccinate as many people as possible and do social distance to prevent the virus. Drug manufacturers may need to develop shots or new prescriptions to handle variants, but waiting for a vaccine that addresses each variant just leaves the door open for more variants. Our biggest problems are not with the vaccines, but rather the processes that surround them. Stocks must increase; distribution needs to become much more efficient; we must ensure that people get their second shots, if applicable; and people must be willing to be vaccinated as soon as they are eligible. This is a long and difficult list to get things wrong, the pandemic could take years. But if we can get the process right, the vaccines themselves are powerful enough to do the job. “Once the history of this is written, reference is made to the greatest achievements of science,” Zeynep Tufekci, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina with a record of coronavirus pre-science, told The New York Times . “Ezra Klein.” That’s the kind of thing you’re going to hear with national celebrations and fireworks and church bells, and all that, ‘she said. It was no miracle, and it does not happen overnight. “What we have seen over the past year is the result and culmination of decades of scientific progress,” Barouch said. Researchers have been building on mRNA-based vaccines for about 30 years, fueled by broader advances in genetic science. Genetic sequencing has also accelerated significantly – so researchers were able to map COVID-19’s structure within a few weeks of discovering the virus and then start working on potential vaccines. The following: The vaccine is one of the few areas of this. the whole pandemic where the US and the world will be able to learn from our successes, rather than our failures. The scientist hopes that the breakthrough of successful mRNA vaccines will pave the way for a new generation of products that are more effective and easier to develop than previous vaccines. It has also helped speed up this process and may help again in future pandemics. The bottom line: “Good funding, good science and good cooperation with the regulatory agencies – so they could do something that I think could not be done for a year,” said Mark Slifka, a professor of immunology at Oregon Health & Science University, said. Be smart: sign up for the most influential newsletter in America for FREE.