Educational

History of the COVID-19 Vaccine

Can you explain how rapidly the Covid-19 Vaccine was developed? It’s astonishing that scientists could produce a vaccine so quickly, given that the average time to make one is 10–15 years. Although researchers knew some about SARS-CoV-2 before its discovery, they knew very little about the virus that causes Covid-19. Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences microbiology professor Dr. Eric J. Yager claims that research into coronaviruses has been ongoing for about 50 years. Significant data about this virus’s genetic make-up, cellular structure, and life cycle already existed. And yet, in the face of a pandemic, time was precisely what the world could not afford. Scientists wasted little time disseminating their findings on the coronavirus and developing a vaccine. Click the button below to learn more about the rigorous research and mRNA technology that went into the creation of the Covid-19 vaccine!