9 reasons to be optimistic that Covid vaccine will be available in 2021

In as many as 99% of all COVID-19 cases, the patient recovers from the infection, and the virus is cleared from the body

As fall approaches rapidly, many are wondering if the race for a vaccine will bear fruit as early as January 2021.

I am a physician-scientist and infectious diseases specialist at the University of Virginia, where I care for patients and conduct research into Covid-19. I am occasionally asked how I can be sure that researchers will develop a successful vaccine to prevent Covid-19. After all, we still don’t have one for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Here is where the current research stands, where I think we will be in five months and why you can be optimistic