COVID-19 Vaccine May Be Released in Coming Months
October 7, 2020
The vaccine to combat SARS-CoV-2, the underlying cause of COVID-19, is currently being developed, and has reached Phase III of testing. Testing began in April, and is predicted to have promising results according to investigators in the U.K.
People are still trying to decide whether they want to take the vaccine when the time comes or not.
“I honestly don’t know,” junior Corrie Stenline Jr. said. “My dad seems a little skeptical of the vaccine; [he] just doesn’t trust it.”
Phase III is when the drug that is being developed is compared to drugs that have already been approved. The vaccine is close, with experts estimating there will be a successful candidate to market in approximately 12-18 months.
“It is too early to be making a vaccine, they are making it way too fast,” senior Brionna Clouse said. “I don’t want anything happening to my family or me. I just want to see how this trail of the vaccine works before I get one.”
However, no set of clinical trials go on without any problems. In earlier trials, participants experienced some serious side effects.
According to statnews.com, “The participant who triggered a global shutdown of AstraZeneca’s Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trials was a woman in the United Kingdom who experienced neurological symptoms consistent with a rare but serious spinal inflammatory disorder called transverse myelitis.”
Others are concerned about some methods used for the testing of vaccines, and do not want to take it out of fear of being used for data.
“As a black woman, I refuse to be a test dummy,” freshman Comfort Hanson said. “I will still follow CDC rules, but I won’t be letting them test on me.”
Others view the vaccine as necessary for protection.
“Having had COVID-19, I can personally say that it is the worst and it is important for people, especially those who are immunocompromised, to get the vaccine,” senior Ryleigh Hintz said.
The vaccine will also provide the opportunity for life to return back to normal.
“Taking a safe vaccine will help us adjust better to life after a pandemic,” sophomore Eliana Washington said.
