What do the new strains and the vaccine rollout mean for the timing to end the pandemic?.
This article updates our earlier perspectives on when the coronavirus pandemic will end. Transition toward normalcy in the United States remains most likely in the second quarter of 2021 and herd immunity in the third and fourth quarters, but the emergence of new strains and a slow start to vaccine rollout raise real risks to both timelines. We also add a perspective for the United Kingdom.
The risks and challenges of the global COVID-19-vaccine rollout
The COVID-19 vaccines of the BioNTech and Pfizer partnership (Pfizer–BioNTech) and Moderna have received Emergency Use Authorization in Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries. Many frontline workers and priority population segments have received their first doses. Vaccines from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and several other global manufacturers are also arriving (or are expected to arrive soon) and are being distributed for administration around the world. This monumental global effort has shattered the record for vaccine development: the fastest previous vaccine project, Merck’s mumps vaccine, was four and a half years in development (1963–67).
Is the world up to the challenge of mass COVID-19 vaccination?
Amid the unforeseen effects of the pandemic on at-risk and lower-income communities, governments and organizations around the world must convene to ensure effective distribution of newly developed vaccines. More than 12 billion vaccine doses have been announced by all manufacturers for release in 2021—in case all vaccine candidates succeed in clinical trials. The first wave of vaccines for the 92 low- to middle-income COVAX countries represents two to three times UNICEF’s yearly routine vaccination program. The magnitude of the task requires bold, collective action from multinational organizations, governments, and industries.