The virus that robbed people of jobs, wrecked economies, locked people in their houses, and surfaced underlying problems across the country. When is the end? Is the vaccine close? These questions have been asked millions of times throughout the country from people all over the country for the last 6 months. Politicians have centered their plans and debate arguments around their solutions to the virus and how to keep people safe.
People all over the country were heavily affected by the pandemic. In the beginning, companies and corporations were forced to close their doors and send their employees home, some of which never returned. This sends people into a load of stress and worry. They don’t know where they can get money to pay their bills and put food on the table for themselves and their families. The closing of the businesses ultimately led to the freeze of our economy. With no money circulation throughout the country, people aren’t getting paid and can’t even leave their house. After the initial effects and reactions to the virus, naturally everyone asks, where is the cure?
Scientists and experts immediately looked into the vaccination and how quickly they could form one and release it to the public before the pandemic caused permanent damage. Typically, vaccines take 1-3 years to make and get out to the public. The country hasn’t been sent into this type of panic over a virus or disease in centuries. Experts then feel rushed to find a cure to return life to normal. Currently, there are 48 different vaccines being tested on humans and 88 being tested on animals. These vaccines are coming out at record speeds and some are close to a public release date.
Vaccinations are measured in five stages to determine how close they are to public use. Phase 1 is where they are testing the staging and dosage of the vaccine. Phase 2 is when they are expanded in safety trials. Phase 3 is when they put the vaccines into large-scale efficacy tests. The fourth phase is called the Limited Phase. The Limited Phase is when vaccines are approved for early or limited use. The final stage is the Approved Phase. This phase is when the vaccine is found to be safe and plentiful enough to release to the public.
The U.S. currently has 6 different vaccines in the Limited Phase. This means that the public is very close to an available vaccine. Very close as in weeks, or a few months at most. These vaccines have mainly passed at least 10 of the tests and are going through the last tweaks and getting made in mass quantities so they can be released. While the vaccine may not kill the virus, it creates antibodies to prevent infection.
The last 6-8 months have been Hell for all of us. People can’t live the life they did less than a year ago, we’ve been separated from our schools, jobs, families, and friends. People have also lost the jobs that they love and cannot afford to put food on the table to pay their bills because of the decrease of income. The vaccine will hopefully, and most likely, be the turning point of this chaotic period.