The United States may be within months of a profound turning point in the country’s fight against the coronavirus: the first working vaccine. Demonstrating that a new vaccine was safe and effective in less than a year would shatter the record for speed, the result of seven-day work weeks for scientists and billions of dollars of investment by the government. Provided enough people can get one, the vaccine may slow a pandemic that has already killed a million people worldwide. It’s tempting to look at the first vaccine as President Trump does: an on-off switch that will bring back life as we know it. Because of this array of options, makers of a superior vaccine in early stages of development may struggle to finish clinical testing.

Source: New York Times October 12, 2020 15:22 UTC