Rest assured, there were no corners cut in the development of this vaccine or its quick distribution. There are many reasons the scientific community was able to accomplish this. One is Operation Warp Speed – this gave companies financial security for rapid development; unlike standard vaccines that require large financial investment risk.

The comparison chart below helps explain how this was achieved.

Standard Vaccine COVID-19 Vaccine
Research Begins with an idea and research into whether there is a need; then conduct market analysis. Need is great; no market analysis necessary. Many countries pre-purchased the vaccine before it was developed.
Animal Studies Complete animal studies for basic biologic safety; safety needs to be proven. Basic biologic safety in animal studies was proven easily and quickly.
Clinical Trials Conduct human trials to monitor for safety and effectiveness; acquire volunteers to be involved in the testing. Human trials accomplished very quick – there were many volunteers and the high incidence of the virus made it easy to show effectiveness.
FDA Approval FDA approval obtained – process can takes years. FDA Emergency Use Authorization expedited vaccine availability due to public health emergency.
Manufacturing Manufacturing and marketing begins. Production began before FDA approval.
Production Production starts slowly; increasing supply gradually as demand increases. First vaccines given mid-December 2020.

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We must acquire immunity to save lives and get back to normal. Immunity by contracting the virus has shown high death rate, long-term health effects, and an unproven level of protection from reinfection. Immunity through a vaccine is much safer and more predictable – no one has died from the vaccine, there have been minimal side effects, and a proven record of high protection.