This past week, I received my 2nd Moderna vaccine uneventfully. Leaving science aside for a moment, I marveled that a small amount of clear liquid thrust into my upper arm could shield me from a contagious and invisible invader. Indeed, with the many public health failures we have suffered this past year, the development of safe and effective vaccines in record time has been a monumental scientific triumph. Obviously, these successes were the result of decades of medical research and development that created a ladder that today’s scientists could ascend. This is how medical science works. While it is true that medical breakthroughs can occur ex nihilo – out of nothing – more typically new scientific achievement builds on prior successes and failures.
Even with the advent of vaccines, this remains an uneasy
time. Yes, there will be additional
vaccines added to the armamentarium.
Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine is expected to be granted
emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration in the near term. But, new potential disease threats have
appeared and others are surely lurking in the shadows. We are aware of variant strains of the novel
coronavirus in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil. Do we not think that these and yet undetected
mutant strains are already present in other corners of the world? While many of these variants may contain innocuous
mutations, others may confer advantages to the virus with respect to transmissibility
and virulence. At some point, we may
need to call for Operation Warp Speed 2.0 to create new vaccines and therapeutics to combat new
viral threats.
I feel that we are engaged in global cat and mouse conflict. It seems unfair that the goal posts are
shifting. But disease and illness are
unfair. They strike and afflict the
innocent. But, we are not
defenseless. We have robust protective
techniques available as public health experts have admonished us for months.
The scientific community and the public have learned so much
this past year. And without doubt, these
lessons will save many lives when the next pandemic strikes. We’ve created a few more rungs in the ladder
that scientists and researchers will climb in the future.
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