#207, Vaccine
Over the past year, scientists and drug companies around the world have been racing to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Earlier this month, both Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna reported that their vaccines have efficacy above 90%. The early testing is promising, but we are still far from the end. Once the vaccines have been deemed safe and are government approved, the supply chain must churn into motion. The vaccine itself must be mass manufactured, as do the glass vials to hold the vaccine. Syringes need to be procured and systems must be developed to keep the vaccines under strict temperature control. Then it must be distributed to hospitals and clinics all across the globe. We are close, but far from the end.
When the vaccine does start to arrive, there won’t be enough for the entire population. It will take some time before 100% of the population can be vaccinated (and many will foolishly choose not to be vaccinated). So that leaves us with an important question—who should be vaccinated first?
The goal of the vaccination is to achieve herd immunity. This occurs when there are too few hosts for the virus to spread widely within the population; the virus dies before it can infect a new victim. Even without vaccinating an entire population, the virus can be defeated.
To complete this Journal response, address the following:
Imagine you are the head of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). On February 1, you will receive 10 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, enough for about 20% of the population of South Korea. Write a plan that describes who would receive the vaccine and why.
Comment on a peer’s response.
-Brenden Lee Teacher