There May Not Be A Coronavirus Vaccine, Says Top RI Doctor

PROVIDENCE, RI — As Rhode Island prepares to move into phase two of reopening next week, researchers around the country and world continue to scramble to develop a treatment and vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Although both he and the Rhode Island Department of Health remain hopeful, Dr. James McDonald, the department's chief administrative officer, said a vaccine may not be developed.

"I don't know that we're going to have a vaccine," McDonald said during Thursday's news conference. "I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, my friend. I hope we'll get there and it will be OK."

McDonald's statement came in response to a question about how COVID-19 compares to the seasonal flu, and how many deaths can be expected once a vaccine is readily available. Health officials have predicted a vaccine will be ready for the public within approximately one year, which Gov. Gina Raimondo has also referenced in her discussions of long-term plans.

McDonald reiterated that COVID-19 is a much more serious illness than the seasonal flu, from which the state is "on pace to have much higher deaths." The illness has higher mortality and morbidity, he said. It causes inflammation in the body that can lead to a "cascade" of damaging issues such as kidney failure, which can lead to death, especially in patients with underlying health issues, McDonald explained.

As the state reopens, Raimondo said the state will continue to ramp up its testing efforts. The state hopes to reach a goal of 10,000 tests per day by mid-summer, increasing this number heading into the fall.

Over time, the plan is to pivot away from relying on large-scale, drive-thru test sites such as those at the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, instead incorporating testing into the existing healthcare system, Raimondo said. CVS's initiative to open 10 self-test sites at pharmacy locations around the state is an example of this shift, she said.

Nursing homes and other congregate care facilities continue to be a major focus of the state's coronavirus response effort, as they are the site of the majority of the state's COVID-19-related deaths. Going forward, the state may need to consider investing more in home care services, Raimondo said, to avoid similar devastation should the virus resurface later.

At this time, the state is very reliant on these types of facilities, Raimondo said, which, which effective at providing care, can be difficult when it comes to infection control because of the high volumes of shared spaces, especially restrooms. The governor called them a "perfect storm" for the coronavirus due to the combination of the elderly population, people who are already frail or unwell and the inability to distance residents completely.

Patch editor Scott Souza contributed to this report.