Drug makers are racing to land a vaccine or treatment for the new corona virus, but the science takes time, meaning Americans are left with an onslaught of canceled parades, suspended sports leagues and school closures while they wait for next season’s cures.
The U.S. official in charge of infectious diseases told Congress that, within a few weeks, he may be able to announce that someone has received the first trial shot for the virus that popped up in China in December and has caused worldwide havoc.
That’s good news.
However, “that doesn’t mean we have a vaccine that we can use,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the House Oversight Committee on Thursday.
“It’s record time to get [the vaccine] tested. It’s going to take a year to a year and a half to really know if it works,” he said.
Likewise, the top scientists are figuring out whether any existing drugs work against the illness known as COVID-19. An anti-viral drug known as remdesivir shows promise and is being used in emergencies in hard-hit Washington state, though the results of clinical trials at home and abroad won’t be clear until April.
The upshot is that Americans face an outbreak without a pharmaceutical solution. Instead, government and business leaders are scrambling to increase testing, root out cases and disrupt chains of transmission by scrapping large gatherings and sports events, while asking churches and universities to move their operations online.
Reference: Washington News
