Meet the Leading COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates
If you’ve been following the news, then you may have heard conflicting information about how soon a COVID-19 vaccine will become available. Unfortunately, my crystal ball is hazy on that front, but I think it’s fair to say that whenever a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccines first come out, initial supplies will be limited and focused on front-line healthcare workers, other essential workers, and people at high risk of severe COVID-19 infection. It may be several months before we have widespread COVID-19 vaccine available, so keep wearing face masks and social distancing until then!
Although there are still a lot of questions about when COVID-19 vaccine will come out, we’re starting to get a clearer picture of which COVID-19 vaccines may be available. There are currently four U.S. COVID-19 vaccines in the third (and final) phase of clinical trials prior to approval. It’s important to keep in mind that not all vaccine candidates will necessarily be approved; the whole point of a clinical trial is to study whether a vaccine is safe and effective in as many populations as possible. This post summarizes the four vaccines that are currently farthest along, but it’s no guarantee that any of them will ultimately be approved.