The hope of a vaccine to fight Covid-19 is now a reality. Although there are still many months, perhaps even a whole year, until the coronavirus can be considered under control - the number of people vaccinated will have to be significant - it is obvious that this is a major breakthrough which, within a reasonable period, will return a certain normality to the planet. The vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech has been launched this Tuesday at Coventry University Hospital in central England. It is likely that by the end of the week the US health authorities will grant it the necessary approvals to make a reality there as well.
There are other vaccines in process, which in a matter of weeks will be following the same path as Pfizer's. It is remarkable that while some people compulsively throw themselves into shopping rituals, ignoring many aspects of the health authorities' advice and creating scenes that seem modeled on the pre-Covid era, the scientific community is fighting to develop an effective remedy for the pandemic, knowing that they have to move quickly, as exhaustion and fatigue mean that often-repeated advice about physical distance can cease to be a priority.
The arrival of the vaccine is the prelude to the next debate, which will no longer be exclusively scientific, but with a strong public opinion input as well: "Should I get the vaccine?" There are opinions for all tastes: from those who give a clear 'yes' to those who think otherwise, and in between, a mixture of misinformation and expectation. On the other hand, the consensus among the health authorities is high, almost unanimous, in asserting that the debate is artificial and that, clearly, the population must be vaccinated when the time comes.
And meanwhile, maximum care, and the hope that the waiting time will be as short as possible. And a wish too: that political battles do not install themselves in the terrain of the vaccines issue. We already have enough politicization without adding another topic.