I think the prospect of a vaccine is being dangled like a carrot to keep the general public 'on the path' - which doesn't mean I think the current path (in Ireland at least) is wrong - just that I think vaccine news is being 'managed'.
I doubt whether ther will be widespread immunisation this year, and also worry that any vaccine may be below the efficacy needed for herd immunity. We may well need a new version every couple of years too, as the virus adapts/mutates.
dave, its been made clear in the Uk that a vaccine is not likely to be quick in coming and may not come at all. its also been suggested that it would be used like the flu vaccine, to protect the most vulnerable section of society, at least in the first instance. I think what is positive and unexampled is the fact that the effort to find a vaccine quickly is a global one, possibly the most people and labs who have ever worked together on one project before.
well with all the money and all the resources ploughed into finding a vaccine, One would hope one is found/developed sooner rather than later. If not a complete vaccine then at least an effective immunity booster
There may well be a vaccine, several vaccines, that look promising, then after small-scale testing, large-scale testing, there may be problems - not be effective as hoped, serious side-effects, difficult or expensive to produce. Then it has to be mass-produced, so tens, hundreds of millions, maybe billions of doses.