Nine months.
In March 2020 the United States was at an early stage of the 2019 coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19). We closed the whole country and stopped the economy to stop the spread of the virus. Think back to March and what level of uncertainty we were living under.
Nine months later, the FDA approved 2 COVID-19 vaccines under emergency license. By New Year’s Day, millions of Americans had been vaccinated, including face doctors and health care providers and nursing home patients, our most vulnerable citizens.
Nine months. Take a moment to let that sink in.
The mainstream media has reported the COVID-19 pandemic which is almost entirely negative. For ranking purposes, they have described the U.S. response to the pandemic as a sweep from 1 error to the next. This statement is misleading.
There is another way – a more accurate and invaluable way – to tell the story of the last 9 months. It is a story of heroism, innovation, and meticulous science, played under incredible pressure.
Let’s take a look at words: The U.S. and the world need to respect the role of the pharmaceutical industry – the investigators, physicians and industry leaders – that are saving the world from COVID-19. This is the medical breakdown of life.
Instead of dwelling on why many in the media are avoiding this, let’s revisit some facts.
- Since the discovery of COVID-19, here ‘s what scientists have accomplished: They identified a novel virus; unravel and sequence his genetic code; they invented new life-saving treatments; and developed several safe and effective vaccines using messenger RNA technology, a technology that hopes to be relevant to future vaccine development. Margaret Liu, MD, a biochemical scientist and member of the MJH Life Sciences Consortium ™ COVID, said it was a disappointment for mRNA vaccines.
- The United States has 2 vaccines approved for emergency use, 1 from Pfizer / BioNTech and another from Moderna, and the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine has been approved for emergency use in the UK. In addition, 64 vaccines are currently undergoing clinical trials, including 20 in phase 3 trials. In the U.S. and worldwide, the pharmaceutical industry has answered the call and invested heavily in this effort.
- It was the fastest vaccine development program in history, and it’s not even close. David Pride, MD, PhD, a microbiologist at the University of California, San Diego, estimates that vaccines typically take 10 to 15 years to develop. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, the fastest development timeline was 4 years, for the mumps vaccine.
· Many government systems moved swiftly to reduce the burden of heavy regulations and provide funding so that vaccines could be developed quickly but with strict standards. Perhaps it should be a lesson to all of us that management and innovation can be more effectively calibrated at “normal” times such as business races to develop new cures for other communicable diseases – cancer, diabetes. diabetes, heart disease and more.
The next stage of the process – the distribution of the vaccine – will be as challenging as, if not greater, the stage of development. But again, the pharmaceutical industry is on the rise to the event. Factories around the world are working hard to make hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines.
Less than a month after the Pfizer vaccine was approved, more than 15.4 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed nationwide, and more than 4.6 million people have received the first dose, according to CDC data. Many patients are already receiving a second dose.
While 15.4 million doses are impressive, some expected 20 million doses. But that shifts the goal line, because 6 months ago not many viewers thought a vaccine would be available until 2021.
Members of our COVID Consortium reported that the holidays severely delayed their release. Nancy Messonnier, MD, a physician with the National Center for Vaccination and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, expects a rapid increase in vaccines administered in the first few days of 2021.
Every day, more people get the vaccine. After health care workers and our most vulnerable citizens, next frontline workers will be next. Teachers will be vaccinated so that our children can return to school. And soon, Americans will be able to get the vaccine at their doctor’s office or at CVS or Walgreens.
Remember, we achieved this in 9 months, with the help, commitment and experience of our pharmaceutical industry heroes. The next time you turn on the TV and see negativity, turn it off and imagine that place where we will be in 9 months.