Erik Schatzker: For months, vaccines have been getting all the attention, and by some estimates, 10 times as much federal funding.
Why so much focus on vaccines and not on therapies?David Ricks: We need both, of course. There are many challenges with the vaccine process -- producing enough, ensuring safety, public education, etc.
They’ve allocated $10 billion. That is a very small sum compared to the economic impact. So I think it’s a wise investment by itself.
You could ask, “Why don’t we spend more on therapeutics as well?" And I think that would be the right thing to do, because the best vaccines early won’t protect more than 50% or 60% of those who receive them.