Quote:
Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague
I'm no expert, but this doesn't seem to make sense, does it? Don't they have to monkey with it and tweak things to get it to maximum effectiveness? If so, wouldn't you have to re-do the safety tests on the tweaked version to ensure your changes didn't result in adverse health risks?
I dunno, maybe someone who knows about this process can weigh in.
|
That's what animal tests are for. They test both efficacy and safety in animals to come up with something that seems to work well and is safe, then they move onto human trials. Phase I/II trials are usually to figure out the safety and the most effective dosage. Once that's determined, Phase III trials determine efficacy in real-world conditions. We knew months ago that these vaccines produced antibodies; what we didn't know was whether the antibodies they produced would actually prevent infections (or at least prevent illness) on a wide scale. Now we have preliminary evidence that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are extremely effective at doing that. And that likely means others will be too.