Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020
When the coronavirus pandemic took the world by storm earlier this year, the race for a vaccine commenced. Now, as we are potentially months away from an FDA-approved vaccine, will it be the silver bullet we’ve been waiting for?
The desire for a vaccine is warranted – nearly 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, the economy is comparable to the Great Recession and cases are currently rising in 11 states.
A vaccine appears to be within arm’s reach, as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, has said he is “cautiously optimistic" that we will have a vaccine by the end of the year.
Nonetheless, concerns over the politicization of the vaccine have led many Americans to say they won't take a vaccine, and a major trial was paused last week because a participant contracted an “unexplained illness.”
A completely different obstacle is distribution. Once a vaccine is ready, how quickly can it be available for 300 million Americans? Who gets access to it first?
We look at the state of COVID-19 vaccines and the impact they might have on curbing the global pandemic.
GUESTS
Carolyn Y. Johnson, science reporter for The Washington Post
Dr. Dale Owen, CEO of Tryon Medical Partners
