Download This PaperAccelerating Availability of Vaccine Candidates for COVID-19
5 Pages Posted: 31 Mar 2020
Date Written: March 20, 2020
Abstract
Without a vaccine for COVID-19, the pandemic will be here for some time. Measures such as social distancing and robust surveillance can control the spread of the disease, but there will always be a risk that a flare-up will take lives, especially those of elderly and immunocompromised individuals. A return to normalcy depends on the availability of a vaccine, or possibly of several vaccines, as the virus continues to mutate over time.
America needs to return to normal as soon as possible, for the sake of the economy if not people’s sanity. Unfortunately, the FDA approval process is not likely to result in a marketable vaccine until sometime next year. To resolve this mismatch in timelines, Congress should create an expedited process to allow patients, via a process of informed consent, to use vaccine candidates that have not yet completed the full FDA approval process.
Keywords: vaccination, healthcare policy, FDA, regulation, coronavirus, coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19
JEL Classification: I00, I18
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation