COVID-19 vaccine trials update While the number of COVID-19 cases continues to surge, there is positive news on the vaccine front. In early clinical trial data, two vaccines have now shown at least 90% effectiveness in reducing the risk of infection from the virus that causes COVID-19. While more time and research is needed to understand how long the immunity from a vaccine lasts, experts believe a vaccine could be approved for emergency use authorization before the end of the year.
On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, discusses the latest on current COVID-19 clinical trials. Dr. Poland also explains what public health experts mean by community spread of the virus and why that leads to exponential growth in cases of COVID-19.