The Backstory: What our health journalists want you to know about the coronavirus vaccine – USA TODAY

Without masks and a vaccine, we could reach Herd Immunity from COVID-19, but deaths would skyrocket. We break down the science of it. USA TODAY

I'm USA TODAYeditor-in-chief Nicole Carroll, and this is The Backstory, insights into our biggest stories of the week. If you'd like to get The Backstoryin your inbox every week,sign up here.

Bottom line: "You've got to be patient," said Jennifer Portman, USA TODAY's health editor.

This week, Pfizer, one of the companies developing a vaccine, said its test looks safeand plans to releasedata for approval at the end of October. It is expanding its Phase 3trial from 30,000 to 44,000 people, another sign that things are going well.

USA TODAY patient safety reporter Karen Weintraubexplains the phases, which start after a vaccine has been tested in a labon mice and on monkeys.

Phase 1, she said, "is a very small trial wherethey're trying to make sure they're not killing anybody. There arehints at effectiveness in Phase 1but not a lot of data. Phase 2 is a bigger trial phase. Phase 3 is the big trial."

The vaccine will be approved if on average, it is at least 50% effective in Phase 3. "Then there will be a Phase 4," she said, "which is once it's on the market, they're going to continue these trials for some time andmake sure there are no side effectssix months down the line."

Once the vaccine is approved at the end of Phase 3,there's a regulatory process. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reviews the data,then the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determineshow the vaccine will be distributed. Most vaccine candidates will require two doses to be effective.

"It will first go to health workers in hospitals or clinics who aretreating COVID patients," said Elizabeth Weise, a USA TODAY health and science reporter. "Maybe front-line providers, police, firefighters, the military will probably have its own section. And then it'll start coming down to people, if they got COVID, probably at highest risk of getting very sick or dying. It depends on which vaccine and whoit works best on."

The vaccine can be distributed quickly after approval because companies are already manufacturing iton the assumption theirs will be approved. If they do not get approval,they'll have to destroy all the vials waiting for distribution.

From left, USA TODAY's Karen Weintraub, Jennifer Portman and Elizabeth Weise.(Photo: USA TODAY)

The CDC document released this week says the vaccine might be available by early November but "significantly more COVID-19 vaccine may be available for distribution" beginning in January 2021.

But wide distribution?

"I definitely think that's a huge issue on people's minds," Weintraub said."When can life resume?And I think it's sometime next summer to fall."

A day later, on Wednesday, that'sexactly what CDC DirectorRobert Redfield told the Senate. Any vaccine available in November or December would be very limited and prioritized, he said.If youre asking me,When is it going to be available to the American public so we can begin to take advantage of vaccines to get back to our regular life? I think were probably looking at late second quarter, third quarter 2021.

We ask this question ofour own experts each month as well. USA TODAY created a panel of leaders in medicine, virology, immunology, logistics and supply chain issues to estimate how close we are to a vaccine.We plot their answers on a USA TODAY vaccine clock, on which midnight is the day the pandemic began and noon is the day that a vaccine is freely available to whomever wants it.

Right now, on average, our experts say we're at 7 a.m., up from 4 a.m. in June.Our panel this month was concerned about making sure that data fromthe vaccine trials is transparent, openly released to the scientific community and thoroughlyvetted.

It's a shared concern. On Sept. 3, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization issued a public letter reiterating the strict standards its members follow. Trusting science and the scientific process is the best way out of this pandemic, said Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, BIO's president and CEO.

Race to the vaccine:The sprint to create a COVID-19 vaccine started in January. The finish line awaits.

Fighting COVID-19: How the CDC failed public health officials fighting the coronavirus

A USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll released this month showed two-thirds of U.S. voters say they won't try to get a coronavirus vaccine as soon as it becomes available,and one in four say they don't want to ever get it.The poll, taken Aug. 28-31, surveyed registered voters.

"We know what needs to be done. And we'll tell you if it's being done or ifit's not being done," Weise said. "And then when we actually get a vaccine, we should have enough information to saythere's great data, this vaccine is safe and effective, or there was not great data and there are many questions about this vaccine.

We are not political. We'rescience writers who arejust going to say, This is what we know. This is the data we have.

Portman says the most important thing we can do, as journalists and as citizens, is follow the science,"and it's just going to take a little bit longer than any of us want."

The Backstory: Covering the record-setting wildfires that have wracked Western states

The Backstory: Our journalists' top takeaways from the Democratic and Republican conventions

You can reach Nicole Carroll at EIC@usatoday.com orfollow her onTwitterhere.Thank you forsupporting our journalism.You cansubscribe to ourprint edition, ad-free experienceor electronic newspaper replica here.

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/09/18/covid-19-vaccine-available-cdc-coronavirus-summer-fall-2021/5799327002/

See the original post:

The Backstory: What our health journalists want you to know about the coronavirus vaccine - USA TODAY

Related Posts
Tags: