Possible Vaccine Timeline BY FUNANYA IKECHUKWU
As of December 17, 2020, there are roughly 15 million cases of COVID-19 patients in the US, and 107,124 of those cases are in San Bernardino, as reported by https:// www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ country/us/. This number is only expected to rise. According to Jade Hernandez and Amy Powell of Eyewitness News, Southern California’s ICU capacity has dropped to below 15%, prompting a strict stay at home order, to curtail the spread of Covid-19. With rampant spread of coronavirus and the dwindling number of ICU beds, a Covid-19 vaccine may be the key to ending this pandemic. “There is light at the end of the tunnel, we’re a few months from seeing real progress with the vaccine,” said Governor Newsom, according to abc7news.com. Between December 12-15, health care workers will be able to get the first round of vaccines. The vaccine will be administered in order of importance. First, workers in Tier 1 will be able to get the vaccine. These are workers in acute care facilities, skilled nursing facilities and dialysis centers will get it first. In Tier 2, intermediate health care facilities, in-home health workers, and community health workers will get it second. In Tier 3, lab workers, dental offices, pharmacies, will get it third. After this the rest of the California population will be inoculated, from those who are most at risk then to those
who are less at risk. Young and healthy individuals will not be encouraged to get a vaccine, until much later. Dr. Paul Herrmann of Loma Linda University Health said , “However, the prioritization is generally based on risk of severe disease, so the healthier and younger a person is, the less compelling the need for the vaccine.” According to the CDC, there is one approved vaccine, which is the PfizerBioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. There
vaccine shows the immune system what the virus looks like and the immune system then develops the ability to sequester and neutralize it should it be introduced again. “ Even though possible vaccines are still on their way, people should still keep up the social distance, mask wearing, and avoid going out for unnecessary functions. Fauci says, “It will not be a light switch.” Even though there seems to be an above 90% percent success rate, there is still a chance of becoming sick with COVID-19, and to protect those who can not get the vaccine or do not want to get the vaccine. Dr. Herrmann said, “The vaccine could hasten is are also three vaccine candidates the end of the pandemic. Pandemics awaiting CDC approval, which are tend to run wild when each infected AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, person on average infects more than Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine, and one additional person. By increasing Moderna COVID-19 vaccine immunity to the virus, each infected In the vaccine candidates, the virus is person will infect less other people and not present. There is instead mRNA, hence shut down the infective chain which will give instructions for the reaction that leads to mass disease.” SARS-CoV2 spike protein. Once A COVID-19 vaccine will help inside the cell, the protein is made and in fighting the pandemic, but it will that triggers the immune response, not be a cure all. The vaccine will according to uofmhealth.org. help to shorten the length of the Dr. Herrmann said, “ The pandemic. People will need to continue human immune system is a defensive maintaining CDC guidelines of system. It develops a strong reaction wearing masks and social distancing to against invading viruses and remembers completely eradicate this virus. what it has been exposed to in the past. It does not react to things it is unfamiliar with, however. So, the
“The vaccine could hasten the end of the pandemic.”Dr. Paul Herrmann, LLUH
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