I will preface my rant with the fact that I am scientifically qualified on the topic. As I read the countless vaccine scare articles, I can’t help but long for the Nerf TV brick to throw at my computer screen (surprise, they still sell them). The various click bait headlines read “Hitchcockian”: a vaccine will never come, vaccine to come in 2023 at the earliest, vaccine won’t work, vaccine side effects mounting, etc. The science of creating vaccines is quite mature. The concept of developing an effective one in under a year is a respectable question. Buried in that time-frame is the requirement to produce and distribute the vaccine to the world.
Back in February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicted it would take at least 18 months to have a vaccine. By April 2020, they were saying 12 months.
The WHO is facilitating international collaboration and accelerated research to rapidly develop a suite of vaccines from among some 75+ candidates (see the Nature article graphic at right and numerous other articles in science-based journals).
Here is what I have to say to our so-called journalists who print all of the news fit to scare.
Vaccine wont be developed. There have been several SARS CoV-1 vaccines developed and commercialized. Can it be done with the SARS CoV-2 virus, of course. How do I know? Good science and money. If it were not scientifically favorable, the world’s capitalist pharmaceutical organizations would be doing other things.
Vaccine won’t work (well). With more than 75 vaccine candidates to assess, it is good odds that several will work and a few will work well. Don’t forget the concept of the multivalent vaccines (several vaccines in one); and, while normally not recommended, the fact that someone can receive more than one vaccine for the same virus.
Vaccine will have side effects or anti-vaxers say blah, blah, blah. We will all likely be given the opportunity to receive the vaccine or risk the illness. The choice will be theirs. We should have enough respirators for the anti-vaxers.
The next time you see that poxy word jumbo that passes for journalism today, skip it and click over to one the science-based journals for some evidence-based vaccine news.