BALTIMORE (WJZ) – Johns Hopkins public health experts posed challenges in the distribution and administration of coronavirus vaccines.
“A vaccine won’t work if you don’t get it,” said Dr. Naor Bar-Zeev of the Johns Hopkins Bloomber School of Public Health. “Most likely, older adults will be prioritized. Health workers will be clearly prioritized on the front line. The question then becomes what about essential workers? How about keeping the economy going?
Moderna and Pfizer started large-scale trials this week, the first in the U.S. NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said the trials are moving at rapid speed.
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“We want to make sure that we are very transparent, that people appreciate that that speed does not compromise safety or compromise scientific integrity,” said Dr. Fauci.
According to Dr. Bar-Zeev, by the end of 2021 there is likely to be a reasonable timeline for a wide distribution of vaccines.
“Even after having a vaccine that works and even after demonstrating its safety and efficacy and even after having produced enough doses to go around, at least for the first round, we still need to get it delivered and that will be a great challenge “Dr. Bar-Zeev said.” What we are seeing is live science in real time. I think in the long run, that is good for science and for the trust of the community. In the short term, people it feels a little awkward, for example.
Public faith in a vaccine may depend on policy, said Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Safety.
“We are seeing that this political partisanship is developing, unfortunately, also in terms of vacillation vacillation,” said Dr. Schoch-Spana. “For some, they may be eager to know if a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. Others may be suspicious. “
Dr. Schoch-Spana asked more federal leaders to confirm that any vaccine is free and available.
“We need the government to publicly promise that everyone who wants a vaccine can get it,” said Dr. Schoch-Spana.
Dr. Bar-Zeev said older adults and healthcare workers are likely to have priority over others once vaccines are approved.
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