Preclinical testing: Vaccines given to animals to see what response it produces.
Phase 1 Safety Trial: Scientists test the vaccine on a small number of people for safety and dosage.
Phase II Expanded Trials: Hundreds of people included in the trials. Scientist give vaccine to different groups, elderly and children, for example, to test safety and efficacy.
Phase III Efficacy Trials: Thousands included in testing of vaccine versus placebo. This trial is crucial because a vaccine must protect at least 50 percent of vaccinated people to be considered effective.
Approval: Many countries will issue emergency use authorization to combat the pandemic.
Warp Speed: The U.S. government's Operation Warp Speed will name five or more vaccine projects and give them billions of dollars.
Combined Phases: Some researchers are combining phases, testing for the first time on hundreds of people.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.