FIRST VACCINES MAY NOT PREVENT INFECTION: EXPERT

Desperation for a way to keep economies from collapsing under the weight of COVID-19 could mean settling for a vaccine that prevents people from getting really sick or dying but doesn’t stop them from catching the coronavirus.

Early vaccines may come with limitations on what they can deliver, according to Robin Shattock, an Imperial College London professor leading development of an experimental shot. “It’s quite possible a vaccine that only protects against severe disease would be very useful,” Shattock said.

Fuelled by billions of dollars in government investment, vaccines from little-known companies like China’s Cansino Biologics Inc. and giants like Pfizer Inc. and Astrazeneca PLC are in development.