The Race to Find a COVID-19 Vaccine

Phase 3 trials for 2 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines have begun, but more than 165 vaccines are being developed around the world. Only 27 vaccines have reached human trials, and Moderna and Pfizer are the only companies with vaccines that have reached the final stage.

Both vaccines use messenger RNA to produce proteins and cause the body’s immune system to attack the virus. In addition, both companies are recruiting 30,000 adults to receive the vaccines.

The race to find a COVID-19 vaccine is the topic of a free webinar from MJH Life Sciences™ (parent company of The American Journal of Managed Care^®). The 1-hour webinar, “COVID-19: Race for a Vaccine,” will be held Thursday, July 30, at 6 pm EDT.

The top minds in infectious disease, virology, and vaccinology will provide a breakdown of the top vaccine candidates, outline the latest from the ongoing clinical trials, and discuss how to combat logistical hurdles associated with the rollout of a vaccine in the middle of a global pandemic.

The panel will feature:

• Walter A. Orenstein, MD, professor of medicine, of pediatrics, of global health, and of epidemiology at Emory University School of Medicine and associate director of the Emory Vaccine Center. Orenstein spent 26 years with the United States Immunization Program for the CDC, including 16 years as program director.
• Angela Rasmussen, PhD, a virologist studying host responses to infection by combining classical virology with modern systems biology approaches. Her research objectives are to identify host response signatures predictive of infection severity or disease outcome and host pathways to target drug development or repurposing.
• Gregory A. Poland, MD, who studies the immunogenetics of vaccine response in adults and children. He and his team at the Vaccine Research Group aim to improve the health of individuals across the world by pursuing solutions to challenges posed by infectious diseases and bioterrorism through clinical, laboratory, and epidemiologic vaccine research. His research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1991.

Learn more and register here.

With vaccine candidates starting to enter phase 3 trials, governments are pledging huge investments for the first 100 million doses as cases around the world continue climbing. Globally, there have been 655,300 deaths from COVID-19, with the United States leading with 148,298 deaths, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. The United States also leads in the number of confirmed cases, which topped 4.3 million. The total number of confirmed cases around the world has surpassed 16.5 million.

Some countries that had a handle on COVID-19 cases and began reopening are seeing spikes. For instance, Spain opened back up to tourists but has since seen a surge of cases in cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, as well as the island of Mallorca. Vietnam reported the first locally transmitted case in 100 days and 3 residents in Da Nang tested positive, which caused the country to start evacuating 80,000 people, mostly Vietnamese tourists, from the resort city.

The situation remains dire in the United States. After steep increases in cases per capita, Florida is now reporting a 14% decline in cases over the last week; however, there are 20 states reporting increases in cases per capita of 10% or greater in the last week. New York saw an increase of 10%, and Connecticut, New Jersey, and Oklahoma all reported increases in new cases per capita over 100%, according to The Washington Post tracker.