Buffalo, NY (WBEN) One year ago today, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic. At the time, some doctors didn't think a vaccine would be in place until later this year.
They now say the progress is astounding.
"We're still going to have to wait a ways for a vaccine, that's 18 months out," said Dr. Tom Russo of UB one year ago. Now, vaccines are being distributed. "It's really been an extraordinary effort," says Russo today. "Getting the vaccines that are so safe and efficacious so quickly was absolutely phenomenal." He says it was technological tour de force and the right tools were in place to develop the vaccines so quickly.
Russo says it was hard to predict a quick rollout. "Not only did we not predict it was going to happen so quickly, everyone thought we'd develop a vaccine obviously, but the level of the efficacy is just fantastic," says Russo.
Russo notes there was an early stumble with the rollout, but the sea legs are under us now. "We figured out with vaccination centers how to get it done, and so i'm hoping if we can carry on this rate for the next few months we can finally be in the back end of this and put this terrible year plus to bed," adds Russo.
At Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Katherine Mullin says the timeframe of the vaccine study for efficacy is almost miraculous. She says a silver lining helped in the vaccine development. "There was initially hope we would have lower summer numbers nationally than we ended up having. It was not great in terms of having disease spread. That said, that allowed the trials to enroll and finish much faster than anticipated," says Mullin. She says the continued transmission allowed trials to be concluded more quickly and approvals by December.
Mullin says one thing about COVID transmission has been also revealed. "Initially, this was a new novel virus, and it was thought if I coughed and I had the virus and I touched the table and you touched it then put your hand to your mouth and nose you would get it," says Mullin about surface transmission. But she says evidence has found COVID is a person to person transmission spread. She urges continued hand washing and other hygiene to help reduce the risk of spread.
