A Fast Coronavirus Vaccine, Without Cutting Corners
By Scott Gottlieb (original source The Wall Street Journal)
“Can America reopen without a major resurgence of Covid-19? We’ve learned a great deal about controlling the virus. In the summer people will spend time outdoors, which can reduce the risk. Yet a second wave could come in the fall as schools open and businesses try to return to normal. Americans will feel more confident—or simply tired—and may take fewer precautions.
Getting the threat behind us will require a vaccine cleared for general use. There are ways to accelerate that process, but it is important not to cut corners, lest the public lose confidence and refuse a vaccine. The urgent public-health need demands speed. But that doesn’t mean compromising robust data to prove safety and efficacy.
Almost a dozen vaccine candidates are in early clinical trials, with more on the way. Each of the six major drug makers with vaccine programs is developing a Covid-19 candidate. These efforts are moving at an unprecedented pace, thanks to innovative but often unproven vaccine-making technologies, many of which have never been used to make a licensed vaccine. These include gene-based vaccines that deliver parts of the coronavirus gene to the body.”
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