HEALTHCARE

The Relationship between Artificial Intelligence and Vaccines

AI has taken on a much bigger role in healthcare during the pandemic.

Recently pharmaceutical giants, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer have boasted a 90% efficiency rate of their Covid-19 vaccines. But what does that really mean in terms of controlling the pandemic?

Vaccines to fight infectious diseases usually take years to develop, test, and deliver. Even then, their success is not guaranteed. Typically, vaccines can take up to 10 years to reach infected people. The mumps vaccine holds the record for fastest distribution time, as it was delivered in 4 years. Discovery and research alone usually take approximately 2 to 5 years.

The perfect vaccine has a lot to live up to. It needs to be inexpensive. It needs to produce strong, long-lasting immunity. It needs a simple cooling delivery system and manufacturers must be able to scale-up manufacturing of the vaccine, rapidly.

In comparison, the Covid-19 vaccines have only taken months. In recent months it has been proven that AI is an accelerant for drug discovery with 6 additional healthcare AI trends that will have a lasting impact. Artificial Intelligence in healthcare has grown momentous traction during the pandemic, from scouring scientific papers on coronaviruses to examining CT scans for Covid-19 symptoms. AI will have a lasting impact on the medical research and biotech communities and healthcare industry.

The White House has partnered with Artificial Intelligence research institutions to source scientific literature to better comprehend Covid-19 and all the intricacies associated with the virus. Biotech companies and tech giants leveraged AI to better understand the configuration of the novel coronavirus to expedite drug discovery. Social distancing and lockdown measures forced medical labs to accelerate their digital pathology capabilities.

Amongst economic uncertainties, healthcare and medical AI companies raised recording funding in 2020. Faster, inexpensive, and more effective next-generation MRI and CT scans, rapid testing, and AI-driven passive monitoring have all motivated institutional investors to pour funding into the biotech, pharma, and healthcare industries. The proven successful relationship between AI and vaccines now offers millions hope that soon things will be back to normal.