SE Grand Rapids News

As of Dec. 11, there are more than 36,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kent County, and 424 people have lost their lives battling the virus, according to Michigan.gov.

But with the announcement of two vaccines developed by pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna, there's reason to hope that the coronavirus pandemic may lose the stranglehold it's had over our lives for almost all of the year 2020.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both have a 94% efficacy rate. According to Pfizer, of the 41,135 participants in its study who received two doses of the vaccine instead of the placebo, only eight participants tested positive for COVID-19 and one participant suffered a severe case of the virus.  

The vaccine has shown mild side effects, including body aches and fever, according to Arnold Monto, an infectious disease expert at the University of Michigan and committee chair of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which will help determine the safety of the upcoming vaccines.

"There is no indication that we're going to have any surprises, but obviously, you don't know what's going to happen," Monto told Bridge Michigan. “This is the first generation of (COVID) vaccines; we may have improved vaccines come up later on.”

While most vaccines take anywhere from 15 to 20 years to develop, Monto advises that the coronavirus vaccines developed within a year, under the federal plan Operation Warp Speed, appear to be safe. And there should be no cause for concern about the short development time because scientists like himself have been studying coronaviruses for years, and there is a financial incentive to make sure the public feels safe taking the vaccines.

"Money talks," Monto told Bridge Michigan. “There's no incentive.... for companies to do this, unless they're really convinced that they can make money and their vaccine will prove superior.”

Vaccines from both companies will require double doses less than a month apart to maximize effectiveness. "You're not as fully protected until you get the second dose,” Monto told Bridge Michigan.

Michigan.gov has released its vaccine rollout plan, which prioritizes health care workers on the front lines, followed by elderly residents in nursing homes, and other communities that are at high risk of being adversely affected by the coronavirus, including minority groups, the homeless, incarcerated individuals, college students and rural communities.  

Priority groups in Michigan could start receiving the vaccine as soon as it is approved, which could be in the next few weeks. And other groups could have access to the vaccine in late winter or early spring of 2021, according to Monto.

There are no plans to give the vaccine to children at this time, as researchers are unsure of any adverse reactions it may have.