Ensuring equitable access to a COVID-19 vaccine once it's here

<p>In November, the pharma companies <a href="https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-vaccine-candidate-against">Pfizer</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/moderna-covid-19-vaccine">Moderna</a> both announced substantial progress on a potential COVID-19 vaccine. While both vaccines showed promising results during clinical trials, questions remain for what's next and how to distribute a vaccine once it's available for public use.</p><p>One major question mark concerns logistics. For example, the Pfizer vaccine needs to be kept at <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/11/17/935563377/why-does-pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-need-to-be-kept-colder-than-antarctica">extremely cold temperatures</a> while traveling through the supply chain — though that <a href="https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/moderna-covid-vaccine-refrigerator-temperature-stable/589085/">doesn't seem to be the case for Moderna's vaccine</a>.</p><p>Another worry is ensuring equitable access to an effective vaccine. Dr. Angela Shen, visiting scientist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and vaccine policy expert, recently published a paper on the topic in a <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01554">special cluster on COVID-19 vaccines</a> in Health Affairs. She joins A Health Podyssey to discuss her paper, as well as the challenges and opportunities the US will face to secure equitable access to a COVID-19 vaccine.</p><p>Subscribe: <a href="https://feeds.transistor.fm/a-health-podyssey">RSS</a> | <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-health-podyssey/id1533852530">Apple Podcasts</a> | <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2EtaGVhbHRoLXBvZHlzc2V5">Google Podcasts</a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3tAEbXdlzlcgjLTHfJMYqR">Spotify</a> | <a href="https://castro.fm/itunes/1533852530">Castro</a> | <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=576615&amp;refid=stpr">Stitcher</a></p>