Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1361647
and autoimmune diseases. However, hydroxychloroquine has been found to cause dangerous side effects when used otherwise. In an effort to study hydroxychloroquine's effectiveness against COVID-19, the FDA approved an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the drug for approximately three months. Within that time period, it did not demonstrate any consistent promise for reducing COVID-19-related symptoms or deaths. The FDA subsequently cancelled its EUA. The corticosteroids hydrocortisone and dexamethasone, on the other hand, have been found to reduce mortality in severe and critically ill patients. Therefore, these medications are currently recommended treatment, though use of them is contrain- dicated in those whose COVID-19 is mild or moderate. ARRIVAL OF VACCINES In lieu of curative therapy for all subsets of patient s a nd to m itigate t he sprea d of COV ID-19, the scientif ic communit y performed vigorous research to develop a coronavirus vaccine. As a vaccine to protect against other coronavirus strands had been in development for a decade, the creation of the COVID-19 vaccine was greatly accelerated. Following FDA's issuance of EUAs on Dec. 11 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and Dec. 18 (Moderna), vaccinations began being administered in mid-December. As the first wave of vaccination began, logistical issues ham- pered the process, with hindrances that included lack of resources, miscommunication and the complexity of a nationwide vaccine effort in which the distribution component was left largely to individual states to figure out. Experts suspect that even with widespread vaccination, it may be months or years before spread of the novel coronavirus is under control. Distribution has not been the only obstacle to widespread vac- cination. The efficacy of any vaccine has been heavily scrutinized by certain segments of the population due to misinformed anti-vaccination beliefs and the politicization of efforts to slow the virus, such as wearing face coverings in public and adopting physica l isolation a nd quarantine measures. This lack of confidence lessens t he l i kel i hood t h at su f f icient numbers will receive the vaccine to afford long-term protection against the virus for the population at large. Pol ls by nationa l news out let s conducted in August 2020 show that 1 in 3 American adults would refuse the vaccine if it were offered to them. Half of the nurses in a single unit of a Texas hospital stated that they would refuse the vaccine, most for political reasons. Should other medical personnel feel the same and if they indicate their preferences to patients, the consequences could be dire. The potential vaccine side effects only complicates matters. As with other vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccines commonly result in minor symptoms. However, a female healthcare worker in Alaska experienced an anaphylactic reaction and had to be hospitalized. Such stories are rare, but their repetition weakens trust in the vaccine's safety and efficacy. OUTLOOK Around the same time vaccines were approved, the FDA issued an EUA for an at-home antigen test. Available to the general public, this over-the-counter test enables anyone to perform and evaluate a COVID-19 antigen test at home. As options become simpler and less intrusive, there may be an increase in testing. A positive result may encourage individuals to self-quarantine, which will help slow the spread of coronavirus. As vaccination is distributed, first to healthcare personnel, frontline workers, the elderly and the chronically ill, and more recently to healthy adults, there is reason to expect the spread and severity of COVID-19 cases to slow. Recently, new mutations of SARS-CoV-2 make it clear that researchers must continue to seek new protection and treatment options. Additionally, it must remain a priority to overcome skepticism regarding the vaccine in order to enable herd immunity that will serve to protect the most vulnerable. While COVID-19-related challenges facing the medical profession and the U.S. public in 2021 remain grave, the arrival of vaccines brings hope that the final chapters of this story can soon be written. n M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S L O N G I S L A N D ■ 2 0 21 0 7