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COVID Chat: Carrie Ponders the Coronavirus PandemicAuthor: Carrie Zapka
A former research microbiologist teaches COVID-19 science in easy-to-understand ways. Language: en Genres: Life Sciences, Science Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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When Will This REALLY be Over? Part 4 of 4: Vaccines and Other Prophylactics
Episode 9
Friday, 5 June, 2020
One approach to ending the coronavirus pandemic is to deploy a safe and effective vaccine or other prophylactic treatment against SARS-CoV-2. I’ll begin with a review of the range of prevention and treatment research areas for COVID-19. Then I’ll discuss prophylactic approaches, including binding blockers, antibody-based approaches, and vaccines. We’ll also talk about the process of vaccine development and compare diverse vaccine technologies (whole virus, frankenvirus, proteins, and genetics-based solutions). I’ll conclude by sharing my updated opinion on this series (started a month ago!). Today, if I answer the answer question, “When will this really be over?” I add a fourth approach, treatment. Also, of the four strategies, I now have two favorites. Only testing and tracing, combined with treatment, can help us immediately. Herd immunity and vaccine deployment will take time, possibly too much time. The virus might fizzle out or change before these strategies can help us.
