Earlier this week, there was news of a covid vaccine with a 90% effective rate. This gave a big lift to global morale as well as stock markets around the world and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Covid-19 is raging across the globe once again, especially here in the U.S. and Europe.
Assuming we get this vaccine, being developed by Pfizer, approved by the FDA by the end of the year, we still have some distribution issues to contend with that are not typical, compared to other familiar vaccines:
Double Dose – This particular vaccine requires 2 doses, which means that we’ll need twice as many of everything that is required to administer a single dose (syringes, needles, etc.). Also, the doses need to be given 3 weeks apart. We won’t be able to self-administer because of the next issue below.
Super Fridge – The vaccine has to be kept at a chilly 100°F in order to remain effective. That removes the mass self-injection solution. This also complicates the supply chain logistics for getting this stuff from point A to point B.
Marketing To The Masses – You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Once we start vaccine mass production and distribution, we still have to convince people to get the vaccine. The normal timeline for a vaccine to get to the end user (me and you) from inception is several years. The “oldest” vaccines are at 8 months, at best. Additionally, the Pfizer vaccine and a few others are based on messenger RNA, which has never been used in large scale human vaccinations. This means that we are not certain of the long-term effects this may have on our bodies. That’s a tough sell.
These aren’t obstacles that we can’t overcome. We just have to know that it will take longer than we want, and that patience will be needed along the way.
Stay safe, have a great weekend, and let me know if you have any questions.
Joe Baker, CFP®
Baker Asset Management, LLC
joebaker@bakerassetmanagement.com
