A complete return to normalcy depends on one thing: a vaccine. Or so we’re told.
Many of the states’ coronavirus-related restrictions specifically state that the restrictions are applicable until a vaccine becomes widely available. Churches and businesses in Illinois, for example, must limit gathering sizes until the state reaches its final reopening phase, which requires a vaccine or some other ”highly effective” therapeutic. Likewise, schools across the country are introducing a wide swath of regulations that students must abide by if in-person instruction is to resume. These regulations will be reconsidered only after a vaccine is developed.
The problem is that a COVID-19 vaccine may not be available for quite some time. Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier doubts that a vaccine will be available by year’s end, which is what several health experts have predicted. Indeed, he believes that the experts who have said as much have done a “grave disservice” to the public.
Speaking from a scientific perspective, Frazier said it has previously taken years to develop and perfect a vaccine. His company, Merck, secured approval for its mumps vaccine after four years of research and development. At the time, that was considered a feat.
There’s a reason it takes as long as it does, Frazier added. You want to know that the vaccine works and that it’s safe for mass use. Rush the process, and you potentially risk the health and safety of the public.
“What worries me the most is that the public is so hungry, is so desperate to go back to normalcy, that they are pushing us to move things faster and faster,” Frazier told Harvard Business School’s Tsedal Neeley. “Ultimately, if you are going to use a vaccine in billions of people, you’d better know what that vaccine does.”
If Frazier is correct, it could be years before we get a hold of a vaccine that is reliable, safe, and efficient. Which means we need to figure out a way to reopen our schools, hospitals, churches, and businesses fully without waiting around for a vaccine that might not appear as soon as we need it. That could mean adopting semi-permanent social distancing measures and encouraging people to wear face coverings while in public while asking high-risk individuals to limit public contact.
But let’s be clear: We need to reopen completely. Our students are facing serious setbacks due to the shutdown, and distance learning simply is not an acceptable alternative. Religious people have been forced to worship away from their communities of faith for far too long, and it’s past time they were allowed to exercise their First Amendment rights in full form. Hospitals across the nation need to work through the backlogs of patients who had to postpone or cancel procedures during the shutdown. And businesses need to make up for lost revenue if we’re to continue our economic recovery.
We need to do all of this without a vaccine. Each state should be moving into its final phase before the end of the year, as long as the case numbers and deaths continue to decline. That way, when a vaccine is available, we’ll be better, not worse, off for it.
