Safety First! The Race For a COVID-19 Vaccine (4-6)
If you'd like to have someone read this section for you, click play below.
What are the steps in making a new vaccine?
Making a vaccine usually takes a very long time. It can take up to 10 years or longer! Vaccines have to go through a lot of testing to prove that they work and are safe before they are allowed to be used. Even after a vaccine has been approved, they are still looked at all the time to make sure that they are safe.
In Canada, all vaccines (including vaccines for COVID-19!) must be approved by Health Canada before they can be used.
The steps to making vaccines
Before any steps of making a new vaccine can happen, the people making it need funding (money). Billions of dollars went into making vaccines for COVID-19.
1. Science phase - In this phase, scientists ask questions and learn more about the disease and do research in the laboratory to see if the vaccine might work. They also conduct experiments to prove their hypothesis.
2. Testing phase - Testing in the laboratory and animals (called pre-clinical studies)
Testing of vaccines starts in the laboratory. If these tests show the vaccine might work, it is usually tested in animals before people.
3. Testing in people (Clinical Studies) - In this testing phase, scientists give a vaccine to thousands of volunteers to make sure it's safe and that it works.
There are three test phases in this stage, starting with a small number of volunteers in the first phase, hundreds in the second, and thousands in the third.
4. Approval phase - In the approval phase, scientists prove that the vaccine is safe and works well so that it can be given to the public. This is done using data and results from the testing. Health Canada is responsible for approving vaccines.
5. Production phase - Production means that you make or build an item (in this case, making a vaccine). Once a vaccine is approved, we need a factory and ingredients to make lots of it.
Try this. Pretend you and your team are the scientists asked to make a vaccine.
Sort into the correct order of steps that you would need to follow.
If you'd like to have someone read this section for you, click play below.
Even after a vaccine has been tested and approved, it is still monitored to make sure that it still works and is safe. Health Canada monitors vaccines and keeps an eye out for any side effects. Even though vaccines for COVID-19 were developed very quickly, every step has been taken to make sure that they are both safe and effective.
Health Canada will continue to make sure that they are safe and effective through ongoing monitoring.
How was the COVID-19 vaccine developed so quickly?
COVID-19 vaccines were able to be developed quickly because governments, scientists, public health authorities, and manufacturers around the world all came together to work harder and faster to make the vaccine as quickly as possible. Even though vaccines for COVID-19 were developed very quickly, every step has been taken to make sure that they are both safe and effective.
Health Canada will continue to make sure that they are safe and effective through ongoing monitoring.
All lessons & quizzes are free!
This was just one of the lessons in our Immune System section. There are over 60 lessons on Kids Boost Immunity just like this one on a variety of subjects. Each lesson includes a quiz, and every time a student scores 80% or higher on a quiz, we will donate life-saving vaccines to UNICEF Canada. Sign up now!
