December 14, 2020
Highlights: UW, Johns Hopkins symposium on preserving scientific integrity in COVID-19 vaccine research
Today, Dec. 14, 2020, marked the first time a COVID-19 vaccine was administered in the United States outside of a clinical trial. Protecting the scientific integrity of the vaccine development and distribution process was paramount throughout. It was critical that vaccine trials would be — and would be seen to be — free of political interference, carried out with the highest scientific and ethical rigor, and allowed to proceed until the safety and efficacy of each candidate vaccine has been thoroughly assessed.
With this backdrop, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Washington brought together leading experts in October to explore these issues and put forward a concise plan for protecting the scientific integrity of these lifesaving efforts. Here’s a 4-minute highlight reel of the symposium:
“Preserving the Scientific Integrity of Getting to COVID-19 Vaccines: From Clinical Trials to Public Allocation” featured insights from global leaders in vaccine science, health metrics, policy, regulation, and communications.
You can watch the full replay
The ultimate goal is global distribution of and equitable access to effective vaccines that can help slow, and eventually end, the pandemic.
This virtual symposium focused on several key areas:
- The science behind COVID-19 vaccine-efficacy trials
- Essential elements of protecting scientific integrity
- Frameworks for assessing vaccine safety and efficacy, including emergency use authorizations (EUAs)
- Ethical aspects of COVID-19 trials
- Ensuring trials are inclusive, diverse, and allow for assessment of highly affected communities
- Vaccine access and allocation in the U.S. and globally
