The Flu Shot [Commentary]
I received my second COVID-19 vaccine yesterday. Perhaps that has led today’s story to be a bit corny. Of all the side-effects that have been discussed, none really discuss the great sense of relief that I feel now. We’re in the endgame now.
The vaccines work. Cases are dropping consistently. Hospitalizations and deaths are also dropping, and it seems like they will not return. Among the elderly, hospitalizations have dropped significantly. Everyone is ready to “return to normal”.
It’s certainly a feeling that I haven’t felt in a while, but I can’t help but worry about the future. Are we really done with it? Will some viral mutation evade our immune systems? What will happen in the next pandemic?
I hope we don’t get anymore, and it seems like the biotechnology can be employed in a permanent form to prevent the next pandemic from even taking off. The future may be one in which pandemics are a thing of the past like a taking a month-long voyage to cross the Atlantic.
Viral surveillance, performing genetic sequencing on virus samples to track its evolution, is something that needs investment. These may come from volunteers or even by sampling city sewage to catch a potential outbreak and quickly apply mitigation techniques.
mRNA vaccines are not just good vaccines, they represent a technological breakthrough. They work incredibly well, better than anyone may have anticipated.
There is research now for being able to use mRNA for cancer treatments. Its not a vaccine in the sense of preventing cancer, but using the same idea to target tumors may actually work to destroy the ones already in your body.
But we’ve just started a biotech revolution through mRNA. There are vaccine candidate trials for malaria, zika, and even HIV. Even if none of these are as effective as for Covid, they would represent an incredible step forward in saving lives.
What about the next virus, the one we don’t know about yet? With a genetic sequence, we can create a vaccine in a weekend. Safety tests are necessary, but once we know it works, we can double-down on manufacturing.
While in the case of a pandemic we need massive-scale manufacturing, it’s not economical to do this for a few cases. It’s much easier to transmit genetic information to local communities. From here, they can use bioprinters to create an appropriate volume to stamp out an outbreak. Within a week we will be able to inoculate a population and stop the spread.
Perhaps I’m overly optimistic, but I don’t think so. Particularly as we begin to rebuild we will see the need for better public health tools. Much like the world rebuilt after World War II, our systems will be permanently altered for the better.