What you need to know about a coronavirus vaccine

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates on Thursday exposed what the world needs for a Covid-19 vaccine to reopen society.

“Realistically, if we are to return to normal, we need to develop a safe and effective vaccine. We need to do billions of doses, we need to get them to all parts of the world, and we need all of this to happen as quickly as possible,” Gates said in a blog post.

The vaccine only needs to be at least 70% effective in stopping the outbreak, Gates said. He added that a vaccine that is 60% effective is usable, but society would still see localized outbreaks, while anything below 60% is unlikely to stop the virus.

Gates said he is optimistic that a safe and effective vaccine can emerge in 18 months, although it could be as short as 9 months or as long as two years. It doesn’t have to be perfect at first, either, and it can take time to develop a refined vaccine.

Gates said that once a usable vaccine is ready for use, it must first be distributed to health workers and then to people in low-income countries. The world will eventually need 7 billion doses or more if it is a multi-dose drug, Gates said. He added that the Covid-19 vaccine is likely to become part of newborn vaccination programs.

Since its appearance, the coronavirus has infected more than 3.2 million worldwide and has killed at least 227,971 people, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

“It may be a little difficult to see right now, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We are doing the right thing to get vaccinated as quickly as possible, “Gates said.