SAN ANTONIO – We have been living with COVID-19 for the better part of 2020. The virus has infected millions of people, killed hundreds of thousands around the world and upended our daily lives.
Many people believe life will return to normal with a vaccine. It’s not that simple.
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In this week’s episode of KSAT Explains, which can be streamed in the video player above, we examine the challenges to create a potential vaccine, how they are tested and how long it takes before a vaccine can safely be introduced into the general population.
According to The New York Times, there are more than 165 COVID-19 vaccine trials underway.
The trials are broken up by phases and some of the research is being conducted in San Antonio.
Below is a video that explains how San Antonio is involved and a chart from the CDC which shows the vaccine life cycle.
Vaccine Safety Process From CDC by RJ Marquez on Scribd
HOW VACCINES WORK WITHIN THE HUMAN BODY
Vaccines help the human body develop an immunity to a disease by imitating an infection. Here’s a breakdown of how they work within the human body.
HISTORY OF VACCINES
Vaccines have evolved over centuries and have become a part of human life. We look at the history of immunizations dating back to 1000 AD.
QUICK GUIDE TO WHAT ELSE YOU WILL SEE IN THIS EPISODE OF KSAT EXPLAINS:
- How quickly vaccines have been made in the past
- What makes San Antonio well-positioned to host COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials
- The new set of challenges that will be presented in communities if a COVID-19 vaccine is approved