Viruses, Vaccines, and COVID-19

A small subset of those survive and multiply by infecting humans. And the vaccines we’ve developed to control those arch enemies have been among the greatest triumphs of science.

Pandemic Science in the Era of COVID-19 

We’re most familiar with viruses from the illnesses they can cause when they infect us, which can be as negligible as sniffles or as serious as death, but there’s far more to these tiny, not-quite-alive entities than just human disease.

Viruses evolved alongside us from our ancestors’ first appearance on Earth, shaping our path as surely as we shaped theirs. In fact, we wouldn’t be here without them. In our contemporary, ever-more-connected world, vaccines are ever-more vital for keeping our relationship with viruses, old and new, in balance. 

In this constellation of videos, articles, and links to online resources and websites, explore the science behind vaccines, viruses, and public health in the era of COVID-19.

Coursera Course

This online course covers the science and social impacts of viral infectious diseases.

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Where Do We Go From Here?

As we continue to move across and alter natural environments on our crowded planet, new viruses will continue to emerge. It’s vital that we learn from the current pandemic to prepare us for the future. 

We must make sure that effective systems are in place to predict where dangerous viruses are likely to emerge, to recognize them once they’re here, and to stop them in their tracks before an outbreak can become an epidemic and an epidemic can become a pandemic. Equitable access to healthcare, jobs, education, healthy food, clean water, and safe places to live create more equitable health outcomes, which affect everyone on the planet. To address infectious diseases effectively, we must address health inequities.

We must make sure that effective systems are in place to predict where dangerous viruses are likely to emerge.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists around the world came together in unprecedented cooperation to develop new vaccines, along with fast, efficient, safe ways to test and produce them. The mRNA vaccine technology, which had been in development for many years, quickly proved to be an astonishingly powerful tool that promises to be just as useful for addressing a vast range of other infectious diseases, including HIV and Zika.

The world now has a much better understanding of the challenges involved in keeping people safe from viruses—and of how to begin addressing them.