Vaccine Development Reality Check: Know the Facts

“The fastest vaccine ever developed in world history”

In the 1960s five-year-old Jeryl Lynn Hilleman got ill with mumps. Her father Dr Maurice Hilleman took a swab from the back of her throat and used it to help create a vaccine for the disease - more quickly than any previous vaccine had ever been completed. During his decades long career Dr Hilleman worked on vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, hepatitis and meningitis.

Photo: Jeryl Lynn Hilleman with her sister, Kirsten, in 1966 as a doctor gave her the mumps vaccine developed by their father Maurice Hilleman. Courtesy of Merck.”

[source: BBC, “https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3cszmv5”, 24 JUL 2020, Copyright (c) 2020, BBC News]

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“In the history of medicine, rarely has a vaccine been developed in less than five years... 

Antiviral drugs, too, have generally taken decades to develop; effective combinations of them take even longer. The first cases of AIDS were described in the early 1980s; it took more than a decade to develop and validate the highly effective triple drug cocktails that are now the mainstay of therapy.” (Statement by George Yancopoulos is co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron, during a panel discussion moderated by Mr. Mukherjee),

[source: Mukherjee, Siddhartha, “Can a Vaccine for Covid-19 Be Developed in Record Time?”, published June 9, 2020, copyright (c) The New York Times.

How to protect yourself and prevent COVID-19 infection

Until a COVID-19 vaccine is available, infection prevention is crucial. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend following these precautions for avoiding infection with the COVID-19 virus:

• Avoid close contact. This means avoiding close contact (within about 6 feet, or 2 meters) with anyone who is sick or has symptoms. Also, avoid large events and mass gatherings.
• Wear cloth face coverings in public places.Cloth face coverings offer extra protection in places such as the grocery store, where it's difficult to avoid close contact with others. They are especially suggested in areas with ongoing community spread. This updated advice is based on data showing that people with COVID-19 can transmit the virus before they realize they have it. Using masks in public may help reduce the spread from people who don't have symptoms. Non-medical cloth masks are recommended for the public. Surgical masks and N-95 respirators are in short supply and should be reserved for health care providers.
• Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw away the used tissue. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Avoid sharing dishes, glasses, bedding and other household items if you're sick. Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily.
• Stay home if you're sick. If you aren't feeling well, stay home unless you're going to get medical care. Avoid going to work, school and public areas and don't take public transportation. 

If you have a chronic medical condition and may have a higher risk of serious illness, check with your doctor about other ways to protect yourself

[source: Mayo Clinic, quote from Centers for Disease Control (CDC), published by Mayo Clinic 10 JUN 2020]

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