we don’t need to wait for a vaccine to eliminate COVID-19

By: Jeremy Rossman

We are all waiting and hoping for a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19. With many vaccines currently in clinical trials, it is very likely that we will find one that works well. Unfortunately, it will likely be several more months before we have a licensed vaccine and well into 2021 before we’re able to distribute enough vaccine to make a difference in the pandemic. However,  a vaccine is but one tool that we can use to eliminate COVID-19. Our public health interventions (e.g. testing, contact tracing, lockdowns and travel restrictions) and our individual actions (e.g. face coverings, physical distancing and hand washing) can be just as effective as a vaccine (if not more so) and we don’t need to wait to implement them.

A vaccine can be a powerful tool, but it will not work in exclusion of personal actions and public health interventions. We already know the actions necessary to eliminate COVID-19 and we already know they work. If we act now, and act together, we can stop community transmission of COVID-19 in just five weeks, even without a vaccine!