How soon will the COVID-19 vaccine be available?
Question: When can I get the COVID-19 vaccine?
Answer: Soon.
Pfizer announced that in early studies their vaccine was 90% effective, which is well beyond our expectations. This was desperately needed good news in this critical stage of the pandemic.
Across the state and country we are seeing skyrocketing daily cases, higher positivity rate and shortages of hospital beds.
A safe and effective vaccine is our best tool to end the pandemic. Of the 14 vaccines in last stage trials, Pfizer’s was the first to report results. They had 44,000 patients in their trail, half receiving the vaccine and half receiving the placebo.
Of the 94 infections that occurred in the entire group most were in the group that did not get the vaccine. Nearly all the persons who received the vaccine were protected.
Dr. Tony Fauci expects the vaccine to be available before the end of the year. But millions of doses will be required across the country and this will take most of 2021.
The first to get the vaccine will be health care workers in the front lines of COVID-19 as well as the most vulnerable populations such as the elderly.
So the vaccine will most likely be available for the general public by the summer.
The Pfizer vaccine, which requires two shots that are three weeks apart is under trial in Memphis and Nashville. Another vaccine developed by Janssen’s, which is one shot, is also being trial in Memphis.
Some have concerns with vaccine — and the virus itself
Even if we have a safe and effective vaccine which is approved by the FDA, people will be reluctant to take it. Distrust and misinformation is pervasive. Some don’t even believe that COVID infections are occuring at crisis levels in our cities and country.
If not enough people are willing to take the vaccine, the COVID-19 virus will remain in our country and not be contained like other diseases such as measles and chickenpox.
So, let’s wait for the science to work through the details.
In the meantime let’s prepare as a community to use the vaccine as another tool along with the masking, distancing and testing to contain the virus.
Dr. Manoj Jain, an infectious disease physician in Memphis, is also a member of the City of Memphis-shelby County Joint COVID Task Force.