Scientists still don't fully understand key aspects of the deadly virus, including how immune systems respond once a person is exposed.
U.S. officials and scientists say they are hopeful a vaccine to prevent Covid-19 will be ready in the first half of 2021.
It's a record-breaking time frame for a process that normally takes about a decade for an effective and safe vaccine. The fastest-ever vaccine development, mumps, took more than four years and was licensed in 1967. A lot has changed since then that gives scientists reasonable hope a Covid-19 vaccine could be available early next year.
The world's best researchers and richest nations are devoting virtually unlimited resources to finding a vaccine or cure. In the U.S. the Trump administration is removing all the normal regulatory barriers to get a vaccine to market in record time.David L. Ryan | Boston Globe | Getty ImagesHealth regulators have fast-tracked approvals for coronavirus research and development, allowing scientists to skip through months of red tape.
In general, antibodies that help the body fight off infections are produced in response to invading foreign particles or antigens. Vaccines work by inducing the immune system to produce these molecules. Health officials have said there is not enough data to indicate that coronavirus antibodies ensure immunity against the virus."Four months into this pandemic, we're not able to say an antibody response means someone is immune," Dr.
"And that's just going to take time because we have to see what happens after two months, four months, six months and then we have to monitor people to see what's going to happen then," he said.
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