Waiting on Vaccines is a Deadly, Incomplete Strategy
Baffled and frustrated scientists say several other vital pandemic solutions are right in front of us
Failure to contain the coronavirus in the United States has some people peddling a false narrative that public health measures don’t work and the only remaining hope is mass vaccinations. Fact is, prevention policies and practices like masking up, social distancing and avoiding indoor crowds never fully hewed to what leading experts advised.
“In most places, public health measures didn’t fail, they weren’t applied,” says Tom Frieden, MD, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Most places didn’t stick with the program long enough to get cases to a manageable level, and now masking and distancing aren’t being done reliably.”
Now as the pandemic surges out of control again and an emerging strain called B.1.1.17 — some 50% more contagious — threatens to increase the pace of new infections, these same experts say we can’t afford to wait exclusively for the slow and confusing vaccine rollout to turn the corner months from now. Yes, vaccines are a vital piece of the prevention puzzle, but it will be months before enough people are protected to turn the tide.
