You recently heard President Joe Biden state that there will be enough supply to vaccinate the “ADULT” population by the end of May. Currently, Johnson & Johnson is the only vaccine approved for people over 16 years of age. Both Moderna and Pfizer are 18 years or older. So what about those under 16? Of the 358 million in the US, those under 16 included more than 80 million and that’s in the US alone. Phase 3 testing for under 16s won’t be completed until the end of Q4 2021 This leaves plenty of room for smaller, less traditional companies like Tonix and Occugen to bring their products to market.

This takes into account only the population under 16 in the US, not to mention the continuing question. Is this a “flu shot” scenario? It very well could be. With all three current vendors working on their own variety of “booster” shots. If they didn’t think it was necessary, why are they working on it? Why do other companies continue to develop their vaccines if they didn’t believe it too? It is clearly evident that globally and in the US there is room for other vaccine candidates

The world as a whole will use far more than the 3 vaccines we see in the US China has its own vaccine as does Russia. Many variations from many countries. Additionally, there are many countries seeking to secure enough to vaccinate their own population. Lots of competition in an uncrowded market. All the more reason for other companies to continue launching their vaccine on the market.

Look how all this is trending. With all this in mind, it would be hard to imagine the end of Covid-19 anytime soon. It has been reported that only 3.5 doses per 100 people have been administered worldwide. In some countries not a single dose has come out. Countries like Japan, Australia, Iran, Egypt, Thailand and many others show less than 1% vaccinated.

The United States had 79.26 million visitors from foreign countries last year alone. With travel restrictions easing as vaccines are rolled out, we are likely to see a boost to tourism. What will be the impact? How do we protect those under 16 as society returns to normal?

One thing is for sure, don’t let your guard down yet, this Covid thing is not over.