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The World Health Organization reports more than 70 candidates for a COVID-19 vaccine are being developed. But any vaccine must be tested for safety and efficacy before we can roll up our sleeves.

“All of this work can take from 12 to 18 months, if not longer,” says Vivek Goel, the University of Toronto’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, and a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

“Once we have a proven vaccine, we will need to develop enough manufacturing capacity to produce it for the world's population, as well as plan for the largest mass immunization campaign – in a short period of time – in the world's history.”

COVID-19: What’s Next is a bi-weekly podcast created by Goel in collaboration with a University of Toronto Communications team led by producer Lisa Lightbourn.

In episode 10, Goel – a renowned public health expert and founding head of Public Health Ontario, which was set up in response to the 2003 SARS outbreak – explains how vaccines work, why they take so long develop and when we can expect to see a vaccine that protects us from the novel coronavirus.

Note: The information in this podcast is current as of the posting date. Listeners should consult their local public health agency for the latest information in their jurisdiction.

See a complete list of all the podcast episodes