7That’s the number of potential COVID-19 vaccines currently in Phase II, also known as expanded safety trials, as of June 12.According to the New York Times, in Phase II, “scientists give the vaccine to hundreds of people split into groups, such as children and the elderly, to see if the vaccine acts differently in them.
These trials further test the vaccine’s safety and ability to stimulate the immune system.” As of June 12, there were two vaccine candidates in Phase III, the large-scale efficacy test phase, where a candidate is given to thousands of people, according to the New York Times.While those developments sound promising, there are still alot of steps that go into not just approving a vaccine, but also preparing it for mass.