Question 1

What is the science behind COVID-19?

Accepted Answer

COVID-19 is a new infectious disease caused by the coronavirus strain SARS-CoV-2. Disease manifestations usually occur in the lungs of infected individuals, however, it has been reported that other parts of the body can be impacted as well. Upon infection, there is an asymptomatic period of variable length in which individuals can spread the virus without even knowing it. Some people may clear the virus without ever showing symptoms at all, while other individuals may start to experience some or all of the following symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and loss of taste and/or smell. From here, individuals generally recover from the infection with or without supportive care, but there is a subset of infected individuals that may succumb to the illness and die. Although the science of SARS-CoV-2 is evolving every day, this virus is thought to be more infectious and deadly than the seasonal strain of flu, and more infectious but less deadly than the recently publicized Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus. There are currently no vaccines or therapeutics available to prevent or treat COVID-19.

Question 2

How do clinical trials work?

Accepted Answer

Clinical trials are the process by which new vaccines and drugs are approved to be used in the general population to help prevent, diagnose, or treat a disease. They are undertaken by healthcare professionals (including researchers and medical doctors) and often fall into five stages. Normally, it takes years or even decades for a compound to pass through clinical trials, but in extraordinary cases (such as pandemics) this process can be sped up to provide medical care to those in need while maintaining the highest standard of safety as well as.

Question 3

How do pandemics impact the clinical trials process?

Accepted Answer

When there is a serious, life-threatening situation where no medicine currently exists against a specific disease, such as during a pandemic, the clinical trial process may be expedited (or ‘Fast-Tracked’). This is generally only done with drugs that already show promise in combating the disease by having efficacy against related disorders. This process involves more regular meetings of the clinical trials governing body (ex. FDA) so that the drug can pass through stages faster, as well as the ability of the drug manufacturing company to submit sections of crucial documents as they are completed as opposed to once full stages of the trial are complete. Even in these circumstances, the clinical trial process is still extremely rigorous.