How was the vaccine developed so quickly? Isn’t it supposed to take years for testing? The ministry responds to questions

In response to user comments and inquiries, the Ministry of Health informs:

1. For example, people ask: “How could we develop the vaccine so quickly when other vaccines have taken years, even decades, to create?”
2. Isn’t it supposed to take about ten years for testing? The first vaccines took about that long to test.”
The expedited development of vaccines is possible, but that does not mean that any phase is shortened or omitted; rather, clinical research phases can be conducted concurrently. While the typical timeline for vaccine development takes around 10 years, for instance, the development timeline for Moderna—from decoding the virus's genetic sequence to the completion of clinical trials—took about 300 days. The vaccine creation process undergoes both preclinical and three phases of clinical trials. In the accelerated timeline for the development of COVID-19 vaccines, the preclinical phase was conducted alongside the first two clinical phases, while the third clinical phase was conducted simultaneously with the first and second phases.

Additionally, the expedited creation of vaccines has been supported by other factors, particularly that vaccine development technologies are not new but rather existing technologies have been applied. Moreover, in order to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments have made significant financial investments in vaccine creation and production, contributing to the reduction of the vaccine development timeline.

3. But how do we know there won’t be adverse effects in 30 years? All COVID-19 vaccines used in Armenia have received emergency use authorization from the World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency, as well as agencies regulating the sector in individual countries. This signifies that the vaccines meet safety and efficacy standards. Simultaneously, ongoing monitoring of vaccine safety continues alongside the administration of the vaccines.

4. But if vaccinated people can still get sick and die, why are we getting vaccinated? Infected and vaccinated individuals do not share the same status; vaccinations reduce the risk of virus transmission, and in the case of contracting the illness, it usually manifests as a milder form. It has already been established that COVID-19 vaccines significantly slow the transmission of the virus. All available COVID-19 vaccines prevent severe cases of the disease and death. Furthermore, the vaccine provides full protection only if the individual has received the prescribed doses and at least two weeks have passed since the last dose.