Carla Cometto
Vaccines have completely revolutionized modern medicine: they’ve saved millions of lives and they’ve eradicated dozens of deadly diseases. Now, scientists are working around the clock to develop a vaccine to put an end to the coronavirus pandemic. Curious how? Check out this video.
Our immune system is our first line of defense against nasty pathogens that can compromise our health. While it’s often highly effective, sometimes it lacks the resources needed to combat unique diseases that result from bacterial or viral infections. That’s when vaccines come in handy: they train the body to identify and combat specific foreign bodies without exposing us to any of the disease symptoms.
The thing about vaccines, however, is that they take a long time to develop and they’re often released for public use once a disease has been around for years. This has led to the creation of a cutting-edge approach known as rapid-response platforms that are able to yield efficient results in a shorter amount of time. That is exactly what researchers are currently working with to make a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Human trials have already begun in the United States and, although it’s going to take a while for the process to be completed, scientists are hoping to have it ready for use while the outbreak is still ongoing in order to put an end to it.
This video by the Wall Street Journal explains all that’s currently being done for the development of the coronavirus vaccine, in all its geeky and fascinating details.
Scientists are working extremely hard right now to save us from this horrible virus. Let’s just hold on tight, trust the experts, and hope for the vaccine to be ready shortly.
