With COVID-19 taking the world by storm, millions of Americans have been practicing various forms of social distancing in their homes for weeks. Schools and workplaces have been shut down, and many individuals are patiently waiting  for the chance to go out again. According to Professor Joseph Wu, a scientist who has been leading COVID-19 research out of the University of Hong Kong, social distancing “is likely to be the optimal strategy until effective vaccines become widely available.” Life, consequently, will likely not return to normal for quite some time. 

The process for developing a vaccine ready for the public is not an easy one. According to Dr. Greg Poland of the Mayo Clinic, “The process of developing, testing, and licensing a vaccine for widespread population use is designed to be slow, deliberative, peer-reviewed, reflective, and evidence-based so that we don’t make mistakes.” Poland explained that there are three main phases to developing a vaccine: ensuring the vaccine is safe, testing if it creates immunity, and conducting extensive trials on its effectiveness against the disease. This lengthy process can take years, but with the entire world focused on finding a vaccine, people are hoping for one to be developed within the coming months. However, for the reasons Poland mentioned, it is highly unlikely that a vaccine will come to markets anytime soon. 

President Donald Trump only furthered this controversy when he put forth his desire to use Hydroxychloroquine as a treatment, even though health officials have stated that the efficacy of the drug has not been confirmed, and it is too big of a risk to implement such a protocol on a global scale without medical confirmation. Scientists all over the world are working to find a vaccine for COVID-19, and in the meantime, all the rest of the world can do is hope.