I can't imagine anyone is going to leave the MAC, doing that would be compounding the problem and adding to a lot of negative publicity that no school needs right now. If things don't go perfectly this fall, people are going to be forgiving and give you a mulligan, it's next fall when a vaccine is out* and the economy and people's psyche are on the upswing that they won't be forgiving about waste, bloated budgets, and even losing. Hopefully our conversations next year will focus on x's and o's, and not economic survival and whether anyone will leave the MAC.
When a vaccine MIGHT be out. A 12-18 month turnaround for developing a vaccine would be EXTREMELY fast. Yes, there are new vaccine “platforms” being tested that have the potential to rapidly speed vaccine development...but no vaccine based on these new vaccine platforms has been brought to market. Yes, SARS-CoV2 has been rapidly and widely sequenced in a way that has never happened with another pathogen, and that might help.
There is a LOT more effort and money being thrown at a vaccine for SARS-CoV2 than toward any other pathogen in human history (I’m guessing there, but it seems a reasonable guess), but that is no guarantee of rapid success. 12-18 months (from March 2020) is technically possible, but in my view that represents an extreme best case scenario, at least if we are talking about a SAFE and EFFECTIVE vaccine. Historically speaking, 5-15 years would be a more median estimate of vaccine development and deployment. I hope hope hope that I’m wrong, but i don’t think anyone should be making plans or policy on the assumption and an effective, safe vaccine will be widely available in 2021.
Not really much of a betting man, but if Vegas took odds on a vaccine by the end of this year, I would plunk down some cash. Lots of money to be made in a vaccine, not to mention that Moderna, and the Oxford/Astrazeneca project are way ahead of where anyone thought it would be. Actually there is a plant in India already producing the Oxford vaccine, because they believe it will be approved and want somewhat of a head start. I believe that was the thinking behind Operation Warp Speed.
As I said in the last post, I fully expect that this time next year we will be engaging in talk about coaches on the hot seat, x's and o's, and not about anyone leaving the MAC, viruses and vaccines.
Last Edited: 5/16/2020 2:46:10 PM by cbus cat fan