After almost a year of fighting COVID, the vaccine has become accessible to the world. This virus has brought up a lot of fear to the world. Hopes rise that the vaccine will stop or slow down the spread.
Scientists all over the world have created multiple vaccines this past year, but the three main vaccines are Pitfizer’s vaccine partnered with BioNTech, biotechnology firm Moderna partnered with the National Institute of Allergy and infectious Disease, and the University of Oxford partnered with AstraZeneca. On November 23, Oxford’s vaccine efficacy ranged anywhere from 62 percent to 90 percent. On November 30, Pitfizer’s vaccine proved to be 90 percent effective, on that same day Moderna’s vaccine effectiveness proved to be 95 percent effective.
Vaccines usually take up to seven years to develop, but for this virus President Trump’s administration set Operation Warp Speed in place in order to speed up the process. Because of this, the vaccine was able to release earlier than most vaccines would. This vaccine has gone through many steps and test runs to ensure its safety and effectiveness.
Right now, the vaccinations are being distributed in phases: Phase 1a, Phase 1b, and Phase 1c. Phase 1a offers the vaccine for healthcare personnel and residents of long term care facilities. Phase 1b offers the vaccine for all frontline workers and people under the age of seventy-five. Phase 1c offers the vaccine for people sixteen and older with underlying conditions and other essential workers.
In order for the vaccine to take full effect the CDC says citizens will most likely have to take multiple doses throughout the year. After the first dose, the CDC recommends to take the second dose several weeks after.
COVID has brought up a lot of inconveniences in the world but with some patience we can overcome the virus.
