Top national infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci has said he is cautiously optimistic that a coronavirus vaccine would be available to Americans by the beginning of 2021. In a recent News and Observer article, Duke and UNC experts discussed the process of testing a vaccine, and the many steps it takes to go from the lab to a patient.
“No vaccine is perfect,” said Myron Cohen, MD, and “even if you’ve been vaccinated, it will not reduce the obligation of a new normal.” Therefore, masks and social distancing will still be needed in the midst of a vaccination campaign.
Cohen is associate vice chancellor for global health and medical affairs, the Yeargan-Bate Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and Epidemiology, and director of the UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases.
Read the full article here.