The COVID-19 vaccine rollout is now underway. But it will be some time before the vaccine is available to all who want it, and as people wait in line, the virus continues to spread and mutate, “pandemic fatigue” intensifies, and many schools and businesses remain shuttered. In this Forum Q&A, Harvard Chan epidemiologist Michael Mina talks with Reuters about the role of rapid testing at this critical moment in the progression of the pandemic. How do rapid tests work, and how could they be deployed at large scale to stop the spread of the virus, with or without widespread vaccination?
EXPERT PARTICIPANTS
Michael Mina, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a core member of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics
MODERATOR
Julie Steenhuysen, Health and Science Correspondent, Reuters