A New Kind Of Hope

Why we need to trust science

- Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana

TWO GENTLEMEN OF CORONA Trials of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine suggest high effecacy at preventing Covid-19 (Photo by Dogukan Keskinkilic)

Christmas holidays during a pandemic are very different from what we are used to. While some people are still planning parties, many more are keeping their gatherings small or completely virtual. Travel abroad and to the provinces is difficult or impossible. Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons to be with family now is that elderly parents and grandparents feel they do not have many Christmases left.

Covid-19 has stripped us of our ability to physically be with our loved ones, and the longing to be with each other is made more acute by the season. We usually take time out of our busy schedules to make the trip home, but this year it is tempered with the danger posed to our older family members.

This month finally saw the deployment of vaccines in the hardest hit areas of the world. An early Christmas gift to the world, vaccines represent our best hope in ending this pandemic once and for all. Unfortunately, there remains a lot of hesitancy, uncertainty, and fake news surrounding this life-saving achievement. Some concerns are valid, while the rest are borne out of misconceptions or inaccurate information.

EUA versus full approval

No vaccine has received approval worldwide for general use. Countries are currently using the two approved vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna to protect the vulnerable and their frontliners under an emergency use authorization (EUA) or an interim approval. This will likely be the scenario for authorizing the use of the vaccine in the Philippines.