Does convalescent plasma therapy work? Is a successful vaccine for COVID-19 on the way? Will it be suitable for senior citizens and available to minority communities that were hardest hit by the pandemic? These pressing topics are explored in a recent Aspen Ideas: Health panel discussion that was led by Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. Mount Sinai’s renowned vaccinologist Florian Krammer, PhD, and infectious disease specialist, Judith A. Aberg, MD, weigh in with informative answers to some of the nation’s most important health care questions.
“Many vaccine trials fail,” says Dr. Krammer, “but if you go with diverse approaches to creating a vaccine, it is very likely that one or even more of these will succeed.” With regard to convalescent plasma therapy, Dr. Aberg says, timing is everything. Administer the treatment early on before patients develop their own antibodies. Mount Sinai, she adds, is educating at-risk communities about the need for COVID-19 vaccines. When vaccines are ready to be administered Mount Sinai will be there.
To learn more about the most promising vaccines under development, why the infection rate in New York City is relatively low at this time, and whether we should be concerned about mutations to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, go to Aspen Idea’s Perspectives in Health.