The Breakthrough Tech Behind the COVID-19 Vaccines
It’s hard to imagine today, but at some point in the future—hopefully not too long from now—the COVID-19 pandemic will be behind us. Eventually, as all world-changing events are, it will be distilled into a few short paragraphs in a high school history textbook, perhaps even a whole chapter. And when that chapter is written, it will almost certainly hail our victory against the virus as the major scientific achievement of this generation, akin to the invention of the steam engine or the Apollo missions.
That’s the takeaway from TIME’s latest cover story, written by longtime technology observer (and Steve Jobs biographer ) Walter Issacson. In the story, Issacson temporarily puts aside the day-to-day chaos of the pandemic for a heartening and informative look at the science—and the scientists—who made those vaccines possible in the first place. He explains the genetic mechanics behind the two breakout vaccines—those made by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna, and based on messenger RNA (mRNA)—and places them elegantly upon the great arc of scientific progress, rightfully hailing them as “a lightning-fast triumph of human ingenuity.” And he explains how the method by which these vaccines were created will go on to improve human existence forever, as so many wartime inventions eventually do:
“The COVID-19 pandemic that killed more than 1.8 million people in 2020 will not be the final plague. However, thanks to the new RNA technology, our defenses against most future plagues are likely to be immensely faster and more effective. As new viruses come along, or as the current coronavirus mutates, researchers can quickly recode a vaccine’s mRNA to target the new threats. “It was a bad day for viruses,” Moderna’s chair [Noubar] We Afeyan says about the Sunday when he got the first word of his company’s clinical trial results. “There was a sudden shift in the evolutionary balance between what human technology can do and what viruses can do. We may never have a pandemic again.”
As the pandemic rages on amid a vaccine rollout that’s been chaotic at best, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future. But Issacson’s story is a reminder that, when the pressure is on, the most exemplary of us are capable of great things. The next trick, for humanity and all other species with which we share this planet, is generating that same sense of urgency for other existential threats, like climate change. While mRNA vaccines may spell the end of species-threatening pandemics, we still need to worry about the Earth’s health, too.
While 24.1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of this morning, only 6.48 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME’s vaccine tracker—representing 2% of the overall U.S. population.
Amid criticism that vaccine doses were going unused in New York City and other parts of New York State, officials in Albany today opened up vaccine eligibility to first responders, everyone 75 or older, and other at-risk groups. However, reports (and this writer’s efforts to secure a slot for his grandparents) suggest that demand for appointments is greatly outstripping supply; some key websites are struggling to keep up with the traffic coming their way; and the overall process remains confusing at best—especially for those without basic computer literacy.
Dodger Stadium, home to baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, is shifting from a mass coronavirus testing facility to a mass vaccination center, L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a statement this weekend. Once it’s in full swing, the ballpark should be able to vaccinate up to 12,000 people every day—meaning it would take about a year to inoculate all of the city’s roughly 4 million residents at that site alone, assuming perfect efficiency and enough supply. Of course, hundreds of other local hospitals, pharmacies and other hubs are also coming online to conduct vaccinations.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
The Global Situation
More than 90.2 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 1.9 million people have died. On Jan. 10, there were 588,511 new cases and 8,160 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here is every country with over 1.5 million confirmed cases:
A World Health Organization team tasked with investigating the origins of the novel coronavirus is set to arrive in China on Thursday, Beijing officials said today. That news comes after two members of a WHO team were recently denied entry into the country. China has been faulted by some, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who believe the country failed to adequately contain or explain the origins of the outbreak. Better understanding of how the pandemic began could help us prevent similar catastrophes in the future.
North Korea continues to report zero cases of COVID-19, a claim generally met with skepticism by experts. The questionable number may just be a result of inadequate testing: officials there have reportedly only tested just over 13,000 people so far in a country of about 25 million. While North Korea’s political and economic isolation could theoretically make it easier to prevent a virus from entering the country, Pyongyang does have trade and other links with neighboring countries that have had significant outbreaks, including China. Meanwhile, North Korea in recent weeks has reportedly requested international help to procure vaccine doses, suggesting officials there are at least worried about a potential outbreak, if they’re not already dealing with one that’s being kept quiet.
Palestinian Authority health officials have given emergency approval to the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Reuters reports. The first shipment is expected in February, though exact numbers were not disclosed. PA officials are also expecting shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March. Israel, meanwhile, has one of the world’s highest per-capita vaccination rates so far.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 22.4 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 374,000 people have died. On Jan. 10, there were 213,905 new cases and 1,814 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
And here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
Some lawmakers who were left scrambling for their lives during Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol may have been exposed to COVID-19 while hunkering down for safety, according to an email they received yesterday from Dr. Brian Monahan, Congress’ attending physician. “On Wednesday January 6, many members of the House community were in protective isolation in a room located in a large committee hearing space,” Monahan wrote, according to the Washington Post. “The time in this room was several hours for some and briefer for others. During this time, individuals may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.”
Thousands of pre-K and special education students are set to re-enter Chicago classrooms in-person for the first time in nearly a year today, the New York Timesreports. But many teachers remain skeptical that they can safely do their jobs as the pandemic worsens, leading to uncertainty over how many of them will actually show up for work.
A major air traffic control facility in Leesburg, Va. was closed for about two hours Sunday for cleaning after a staffer there tested positive for COVID-19, per the Federal Aviation Administration; other FAA facilities have also had to temporarily close for the same reason. While the FAA says controllers were able to work from an alternate site and that it has backup plans in place in case of outbreaks among controllers, the closure still led to flight delays.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Jan. 11, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
After Wuhan, China Tells a Tale of Triumph (and No Mistakes)
A year into the global COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Times examines China’s efforts to frame its struggle against the virus as a flawless victory even while the truth suggests otherwise. Read more here.
The Origins of Video-Chat Voice
TIME alum Nate Hopper, writing in the New Yorker, set off on a mission to figure out why we all sound so terrible to one another on platforms like Zoom—and what we lose when we can’t hear one another’s voices as we normally do. Read more here.
The Link Between $2,000 Checks and Our Failing Vaccine Rollout
Expanded stimulus checks and a more widespread vaccine rollout have something in common, writes New Republic staff writer Alex Pareene: they’re both being held up by politicians that fear tabloid attacks about giving people something they somehow “don’t deserve.” Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Alex Fitzpatrick and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
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