There's a lot of news to keep up with when it comes to COVID-19.
There are also a lot of opinions floating around and being taken as facts. It can be hard to parse through what's real and what isn't.
A lot can be said about the misinformation plaguing our country when it comes to this subject. Here's what we know for sure. We know that several companies around the globe are working tirelessly on vaccines.
Ideally, an effective COVID-19 vaccine would be a major help in getting us back to our usual schedules. It would provide a degree of immunity that would significantly slow the spread of the virus.
With a new virus, though, there are many unknowns. We are anxiously watching and waiting for new data to learn what to expect. There is no telling if any of the vaccines being tested currently will work.
With so many vaccine trials going on, that data is coming fast. Here we break down the latest in what you need to know about our journey to a vaccine.
A vaccine against COVID-19 would bring us a long way from the struggles of the past few months. If successful, a vaccine would prepare the body's immune system to fight back against the virus. Through a vaccine, a safe version of the virus is introduced to the body so the immune system can learn how to defeat it, typically by forming antibodies.
There are 38 different vaccines currently being tested in clinical trials on humans at this time. Of those, nine are in phase 3 development. Vaccines in phase 3 development have passed early safety trials and are now part of large clinical trials with thousands of participants. An additional 93 vaccines are being tested on animals.
The most recent vaccine to enter phase 3 trials is being developed by Johnson & Johnson. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the largest to go into advanced vaccine trials.
A press release by the company released September 23 explains they "will enroll up to 60,000 volunteers across three continents and will study the safety and efficacy of a single vaccine dose versus placebo in preventing COVID-19."
Another quality that makes the Johnson & Johnson vaccine stand out is that it's one dose. Most vaccines in advance trial stages are based on a two-dose system. The J&J vaccine also does not need to be frozen, which makes for easier distribution and delivery.
There are other candidates showing promise. Countries around the world have vaccines in development, with the United States invested in seven companies to help fund their trials. The strongest US-based vaccines aside from Johnson & Johnson's are by Pfizer and Moderna. Both are deep into phase 3 trials.
Pfizer's vaccine is a collaboration with German company BioNTech and Chinese company Fosun Pharma. Early trials showed only minor side effects, like fevers and fatigue.
There are 30,000 volunteers across the US, Argentina, Brazil, and Germany participating in the current phase. They believe that they will be able to confidently speak to the vaccine's effectiveness by the end of October.
Moderna's vaccine is part of a partnership with the National Institutes of Health. Clinical human trials began in March. They are currently running trials on 30,000 Americans. More than half of the volunteers have shown side effects, but they are minor. These side effects include fatigue, chills, headaches, and muscle pain.
AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford have teamed up for another vaccine. It began phase 3 trials in Brazil, England, India, South Africa, and the US after early trials showed that it safely raised antibodies against COVID-19. The phase 3 trials were paused when a participant experienced significant inflammation. Researchers are in the process of determining the connection. Trials were resumed in the UK while the rest are on hold.
While it feels like vaccine development is taking a long time, there are certain benchmarks that must be met to ensure the vaccine is safe. On September 8, nine of the leading vaccine makers signed a pledge vowing to follow "high ethical standards" and promised not to rush a vaccine into production before it is proven to work.
"We, the undersigned biopharmaceutical companies, want to make clear our on-going commitment to developing and testing potential vaccines for COVID-19 in accordance with high ethical standards and sound scientific principles," the pledge reads, according to CNN.
The organizations want to help the public feel comfortable with the process. They vowed that they would "only submit for approval or emergency use authorization after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as FDA."
Once the vaccine is ready, it will be rolled out based on determinations made by a federal advisory panel. Health care workers, essential workers outside of health care, the elderly, those in long-term care facilities, and people with severe medical conditions will be given priority consideration.
If you've already had COVID-19, you'll still need a vaccine. Studies have shown that not everyone who recovers from the virus has antibodies or has lasting antibodies. It is not yet known if antibodies give you a better defense against COVID or provide any kind of immunity.
