It isn’t over yet | Editorials | newspressnow.com

Encouraging test results for a COVID-19 vaccine sent stock markets rocketing and generated a sigh of relief from a population that’s grown weary of quarantine, lockdowns and masks.

Science will save us, but it’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card, at least in the short term. Non-medical preventative measures, like masks, social distancing and remote learning, still are necessary until a vaccine gains its final regulatory and safety approvals.

Some note that the timing of Pfizer’s announcement seems to benefit Joe Biden and an incoming administration more than Donald Trump, whose management of the coronavirus crisis became a political liability. But there’s still plenty that can go wrong once the vaccine is available, regardless of who is in office. Biden and Mike Parson should take note.

The vaccine has to be distributed effectively and efficiently. States will have to find suitable sites for ultra-cold storage at a temperature of 94 degrees below zero.

Given the early stumbles on testing and contact tracing, none of this is guaranteed. State and local health officials already have thought about the logistics, which is encouraging, but states are hinting at a large price tag for COVID-19 vaccination clinics and distribution as the first found of coronavirus relief funding dries up. Virginia put the estimated cost at $120 million, according to Bloomberg News.

Congress has been unable to reach a deal on a second round of coronavirus funding and can’t even seem to agree on who the next president is, so don’t hold your breath on a big check for vaccine clinics just yet.

To top it off, Missouri has decided to spend $600,000 just to convince the public that a COVID-19 vaccine is safe. It’s probably a worthwhile expenditure given how the anti-mask and anti-vax movements coalesced into a mutual distrust of science, but it makes Missourians seem like modern-day natives who must be convinced that Dr. Salk’s polio vaccine isn’t some sort of witch doctor voodoo.

It’s too bad that money — which comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — can’t be used for clinics or a big freezer.

Distrust of vaccines is surprising because Missourians have no qualms about using medical marijuana, despite a lack of thorough scientific testing on key factors like dosage, potency and side effects. The benefits are anecdotal, and that hasn’t stopped the public for clamoring for the product.

On the other hand, Pfizer’s COVID vaccine prevented more than 90% of symptomatic infections in trials of tens of thousands of volunteers. It will go through a Federal Drug Administration safety review before the public can use it.

How is that not good enough?

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