A COVID-19 vaccine may be different from others, Andrea Amalfitano says.
Amalfitano is dean of the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and a professor of pediatrics, microbiology, and molecular genetics.
Q - What information hasn’t the media covered that you feel is important about a COVID-19 vaccine?
A -I think the fact that the
ability to scale up any new vaccine is not a given. In fact, I am always
dismayed when individual researchers or companies tout a new finding in
the laboratory as the next great therapy, without any indication or
proof that the therapy is safe in large populations or can even be
safely produced to be given to large populations.
As a clinician, I many times have had to tell patients these
realities when they encounter the latest news on the next great medical
breakthrough. This reality check can many times be devastating to
someone affected with, for example, a life-threatening illness or
condition. You can imagine in my field of clinical genetics I see this
often, as many genetic conditions can be lethal. I have found that false
hope can be devastating to individuals and shake their faith in the
science of medical therapeutic development. This to me is a tragedy, for
if the public loses faith in our ability as scientists to not
“overexaggerate,” they may not support our efforts in the future.
