What’s Next? COVID-19 podcast: (Ep 30) Vivek Goel on vaccine development

The World Health Organization reports that there are 44 vaccine candidates now in human trials, with ten of them in phase three randomized clinical trials. But when will a vaccine be widely available?

“The regulators who will have to approve the vaccines are working very closely with the developers and examining data in real time, in what's known as a rolling review process. This will allow for the reviews of the vaccines to be done very quickly once the trials are completed,” says Vivek Goel, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and a special adviser to the president and provost who is helping guide the university’s COVID-19 planning efforts.

“Manufacturers have also started production of the vaccines in anticipation of the approvals so that, once that happens, initial doses can be distributed quickly.”

But there’s still a lot of work to be done, Goel cautions.

In episode 30 of his podcast on the pandemic, Goel – a renowned public health expert and founding head of Public Health Ontario, which was set up in response to the 2003 SARS outbreak – explains what regulators and manufacturers will be watching for as vaccines are tested and discusses some of the hurdles facing large-scale immunization programs.

“The most recent results are very helpful, but we will continue to require patience before we get a fully effective vaccine out into everyone's arms.”

The COVID-19: What’s Next podcast is created by Goel in collaboration with a University of Toronto Communications team led by producer Lisa Lightbourn.

Note: The information in this podcast is current as of the posting date. Listeners should consult their local public health agency for the latest information in their jurisdiction.

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