Vaccine? Treatment?

As the numbers of cases and deaths from COVID-19 continue to rise at an alarming rate, many people are hoping that a vaccine or treatment of some sort will soon be available to protect us. There is a pharmaceutical company called Moderna that is at the front of this race to develop a vaccine, and this article explains where they are right now. The first phase of human trials for this vaccine began in mid-March, and they are hoping to enter phase 2 in the spring or early summer. Phase 1 is only testing 45 people, split into groups that will receive different doses, so we still have a while to go until it is on the market. A fun side note about Moderna is that my brother’s ex-girlfriend’s dad is the head of manufacturing there! I found this out when she posted an article on Instagram where her dad was interviewed for an article about developing a vaccine in record time after a new pathogen was identified.

              I found another article that explained more of the science behind Moderna’s vaccine. They developed an mRNA vaccine which causes the recipient’s body to make the viral spikes so that their immune system will be able to recognize it in the future. An mRNA vaccine has never even made it to Phase 3 of clinical trials, so this is definitely a new strategy that we are trying to figure out. Even if an effective vaccine is developed, it would not help us get out of our current situation right away. Instead, it would make us prepared for future recurrences of the coronavirus, like the annual flu season. We will also need to wait for results from the clinical trials to see if this vaccine would provide lasting immunity once it was administered.

              Some sort of treatment would provide more immediate relief than a vaccine, and many treatment options are also being developed at the moment. According to the FDA website, one type of treatment that is being tested in the US is the use of convalescent plasma. This method would take plasma from people who have already recovered from COVID-19 and give it to patients with an active case of COVID-19. This convalescent plasma would contain antibodies for the virus behind the disease and should provide passive immunity to the recipient. Although it still needs to go through several trial phases before it is a commonly used treatment, it is being tested in some severe cases in which the patient’s life would otherwise be at risk.