A Shot in the Arm

 A Shot in the Arm …

To effectively create immunity to Covid-19, we need to educate to vaccinate.

They say that New York is the city that never sleeps. But as of Mid-March when Covid 19 took the city by storm, the big Apple has been in deep dark slumber. Countless restaurants and storefronts have shuttered, property values have plummeted and the city’s skyline dotted with its iconic architecture now sits eerily empty with its hallowed halls and an uncertain future.

While New York city has been able to bend the curve and modestly pivot, the coronavirus and its corresponding casualties is now peaking in 20 of the 50 states across the country and shows no signs of slowing down. Epidemiologists are expecting a second wave of Covid-19 to sweep across the country this fall and winter with predictions of up to 60-70% of Americans infected and up 800,000 to 1.6 million deaths by next spring if protocols are not followed and we don’t have a successful vaccine.

While a 60-70% infection rate from natural exposure “might” get us to herd immunity, the goal is to get there without realizing a ten-fold loss of human life. And that’s where a safe and effective vaccine comes in.

Today there are almost 100 coronavirus vaccines in pre-clinical testing and 9 vaccines in large scale, phase 3 trials, with drug makers like Pfizer and Moderna leading the way. If all goes according to plan, many are expecting approval by year’s end or early 2021, with widespread distribution by next spring. So, all we have to do is roll-up our sleeves then and life will roll on = right? Not so fast.

The search for truth, trust and transparency are center stage right now and will squarely impacts the public’s willingness to get vaccinated. 

In fact, research studies have indicated that only 40-50% of people would be willing to get a coronavirus vaccine if offered today (with some of the highest risk groups being the most resistant to the idea). That would leave us significantly short with experts suggesting the need to achieve 70% immunity – more than 200 million people in the U.S.

Building trust doesn’t happen overnight. And common misperceptions and misunderstanding can stand in way of quickly gaining the widespread adoption needed to create the fundamental societal change we are all seeking.

In a perfect world, the first pass vaccine would prove to be safe, effective and durable across patient populations and be made widely available. It would solve our political differences. It would erase common beliefs held by antivaxxers, sort out our differences around the date and dispel the negative feelings toward big pharma. It would engender truth, transparency and unite us in our common goal of returning to a state of normalcy as quickly as possible.

We’ve clearly got a lot of work to do. And that work needs to start now, not when there is a safe, effective and durable vaccine. Building the demand curve will take time and quality time is what we all want back.

Mike Rutstein, Founder & CEO, STRIKEFORCE Communications

With so many issues and questions revolving around the vaccine itself, PhRMA, drug makers, public health groups and advocacy organizations should be collaborating together and focused on implementing a well orchestrated public service and educational campaign today that lays the groundwork and foundational understanding around:

• The history of vaccines and how they work
• How vaccines differ from drug therapy
• Creating Immunity – The immune system and the role vaccines play
• Why a vaccine is critical for coronavirus
• Different coronavirus vaccine approaches being studied today and how they work and differ from prior vaccines (e.g. not a weakened form of the virus itself)
• Clinical studies – the design of the trials and rigor with respect to safety, efficacy and durability
• Myths and facts and common questions about vaccines and coronavirus
• Ability to accelerate return to normalcy through vaccine immunity
• Access, particularly for marginalized populations, high-risk groups and those disproportionally affected

With so much complex content to cover and so many questions to be answered, it will also be critical to serve up information in an easily digestible format through interactive “learning labs” and virtual “town hall” style meetings which allow the public to be part of the conversation, and ultimately part of the solution.

Time is precious. And we don’t have another minute to waste. A safe and effective vaccine is paramount, but by itself, it won’t quickly get us back to the world we want. We have to start with the end in mind and work backwards by seizing these moments to address the barriers that stand in the way.

It is only through broad based awareness, understanding and full transparency that we will be able to establish the trust required to accelerate broad uptake of a safe and effective vaccine. And it is only then that we will truly get another bite at the apple.