A widely-circulated social media post questions why a vaccine against COVID-19 was developed so quickly when there are no vaccines for cancer, HIV, or the common cold.
Claims that COVID-19 vaccines were rushed or improperly tested have circulated for years, frequently using the lack of vaccines for other diseases as “evidence.” Debunking messaging may emphasize that COVID-19 is caused by a single virus that belongs to a well-researched family of viruses. By contrast, dozens of different viruses cause colds, cancers have hundreds of underlying genetic, environmental, and physiological causes, and HIV is caused by a rapidly mutating retrovirus that can hijack and prevent detection by the immune system. Research advances have produced vaccines against viruses that cause several cancers (HPV and hepatitis B) and pre- and post-exposure treatments that virtually eliminate the risk of HIV transmission.
Nebraska Medicine, Johns Hopkins, Very Well Health, Worldwide Cancer Research
