Monday, February 22, 2021

How Did We Develop A Covid=19 Vaccine So Quickly?

 The fastest vaccine-the mumps vaccine, took four years to develop, so how is it that the coronavirus vaccine was developed in less than a year?  The speed with which it was developed is what keeps 39% if respondents in 19 countries unsure about whether to take the vaccine or not.

Researchers were not tarting from scratch when they learned about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.  There are hupndreds of corronaviruses, including four that can cause the common cold, as well as the viruses that sparked SARS and MERS.  Scientists have been studying coronaviruses for over 50 years.  Thus, scientists had existing data on the structure, genorme and life scycle of this type of virus.  

Because of the global pandemic, time was a luxury that the world could not afford.  Researchers quickly mobilized to share their coronavirus data with other scientists.  Just 10 days after the first reported pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, researchers successfully uncovered the viral sequence of Covid-19.  The ability to fast-track research and clinical trials was the direct result of this worldwide cooperation.

Hopefully this information will help people make a more informed decision as to whether to take the vaccine or not.  Skeptics are nervous about the speed with which the vaccine was developed.  Now you know that development was in the works for years, and through a global effort, the first vaccine was ready for  use in record time.  Now all we have to do is hope that delivery and implementation of shots will be done quickly and effectively.

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