Will we have a vaccine for COVID-19? 5 reasons for optimism!

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 7 million cases and more than 428000 cases to date. While public health interventions and social distancing measures have been effective in slowing transmission, a vaccine is urgently needed. Currently, there are over 100 vaccine candidates, using multiple platforms and vectors, in various stages of development increasing the likelihood that a successful candidate will be found. This development is proceeding at an unprecedented pace, and this may be due to lessons learned from vaccines against other emerging pathogens. This presentation will review several of the leading candidates as well as highlight lessons learned from previous vaccines and identify challenges that remain in the development process.

Learning Objectives:

1. To provide an overview of several current vaccine candidates and technologies

2. Illustrate lessons learned from previous vaccines

3. Describe challenges and opportunities in vaccine development