Will you receive the first COVID-19 vaccine that is available?

Vaccines generally take years to develop, but as the coronavirus pandemic extends into its fifth month in the U.S., scientists and companies around the world are competing to find a cure to treat COVID-19 for next year.

Testing has been in progress since January, and the vaccines must go through at least three phases of human testing before being approved. According to The New York Times, 27 vaccines are in various stages of human testing.

Many have argued that a vaccine will allow the economy to finally recover to pre-coronavirus levels. But some are concerned about the accelerated process and possible security protocols that may move too fast to reach the goal.

We talked to three Texas doctors about whether they would receive the first COVID-19 vaccine. This is what you need to know.

Will you receive the first COVID-19 vaccine that is available?

All three health experts said they would receive the first COVID-19 vaccine, provided the data from human trials is promising.

Dr. Trish Perl, chief infectious disease officer at UT Southwestern Medical Center and infectious disease specialist at Parkland Health and Hospital System, said she would be comfortable with a vaccine that shows she has a strong immune response in both a laboratory and a laboratory. humans

“They actually have several candidate vaccines right now, and they’re generating an immune response, it’s very apparent to us,” said Perl.

“You form antibodies, which is what is supposed to happen when we give you a vaccine,” he said. “But that antibody must be what we call ‘neutralizing’: it needs to kill the virus. And that’s the part of the puzzle that we need to solve right now. “

Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, said he would be comfortable receiving a COVID-19 approved vaccine. But he added that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will likely prioritize vaccination for certain groups, such as pregnant women and people over 65. A similar approach was taken with the H1N1 vaccine used in the 2009 swine flu epidemic.

People in high-risk groups or who frequently interact with people in high-risk groups should definitely get vaccinated, said Dr. Beth Kassanoff, an internal medicine physician at North Texas Preferred Health Partners and 2021 president-elect of the Medical Society of the Dallas County.

“I think I would certainly get it,” she said, adding that she would feel more comfortable with a vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration. “I am in a high risk group. I am immunosuppressed and my older father-in-law lives with me. I think I would encourage my teenagers who live in my house, [for] everyone to get it. “

Should the public be concerned about the accelerated vaccination process?

The experts said that while it is unprecedented for a vaccine to be created in such a short period of time, the benefits will likely outweigh any risk, provided the vaccine trials are conducted responsibly.

“We know that it is not only harming people, but it is forcing the healthcare system,” Perl said of the coronavirus. “And we have a lot of people exposed, and it’s hurting the economy. When you incorporate all of that, it gives you a different risk profile. ”

In general, he said, vaccines are safe. However, she noted, the risk can vary depending on a person’s circumstances. Older people, for example, may not have the same immune response with a vaccine as young adults.

Kassanoff said he would not hesitate to recommend vaccination for people in high-risk groups, as they are more likely to experience the more serious disease. Vaccination pays off as long as it only produces minor side effects, such as pain or a mild fever that lasts only a few days, he said.

“Generally, I am not the first person to prescribe a new medication,” he said. “I want to see it for a while before I start giving it to my patients. However, I think this will be a little different, because the people who get so sick are the ones who already have so many health problems. “

Huang said there is no reason for concern about vaccines, as long as no shortcuts are taken during development.

Health experts have said that a vaccine that skips animal testing, for example, could be dangerous. Animal testing helps researchers determine if a vaccine is at risk for “vaccine improvement”, which worsens a disease in vaccinated people.

“We would have to review the processes, how they conducted the trial and evaluate them,” he said. “But you have to assume they’re doing it the way it’s supposed to be done.”

How should the public evaluate COVID-19 vaccines?

As more data and information about a COVID-19 vaccine is released, Huang said he will seek high efficacy rates and positive data from safety tests. She also said that the public should analyze what the benefits of each treatment would be.

“We would have to wait if it only had minimal benefits but really bad side effects or something,” he said. “But, I mean, these are assumptions.”

When evaluating a vaccine, Perl said, the public should start by looking for evidence of three things: that it works in animals, that it generates an immune response in humans, and that it can prevent infection in humans.

It is also important to consider the groups of people in whom the vaccine is tested. If tested in healthy young adults, that may not inspire confidence in people in high-risk groups.

It is also important, he said, to look at the side effects of a vaccine. Ideally, they would be mild or rare.

“Everything has a side effect,” said Perl. “We know there will be this side effect, but we want it to be rare. Or if it has a common side effect, we want it to be mild, as with the HPV vaccine, you have a pretty sore arm. “

She said the public should also seek, and even demand, that companies follow up with vaccinated people to ensure there are no long-term side effects.

Health experts have said that the COVID-19 vaccine may require more than one dose and is not 100% effective. But even a vaccine that behaves like the flu shot, which is 40% to 60% effective each year, would still be a big step forward in the fight against the pandemic.

“This may end up being very much like the flu vaccine, where it may not be as effective as some of these other vaccines in preventing the disease in the individual, but it can actually decrease the shedding enough that they vaccinate the population. Enough, then we get the herd immunity we really need, “said Perl.