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Scientists Speed Up COVID-19 Candidate Vaccine Development : Short Wave Approximately 200 COVID-19 vaccines are being actively developed, a process that health officials are expediting to help end the pandemic. Today on the show, NPR science correspondent Joe Palca walks us through the latest in vaccine development — from how a coronavirus vaccine would work to the challenges of distributing it to the world.

Short Wave

A COVID-19 Vaccine: What You Need To Know

A COVID-19 Vaccine: What You Need To Know

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A laboratory technician holding a tray with doses of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, ready for trial on monkeys at the National Primate Research Center of Thailand MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images

A laboratory technician holding a tray with doses of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, ready for trial on monkeys at the National Primate Research Center of Thailand

MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images

Approximately 200 COVID-19 vaccines are being actively developed, a process health officials are expediting to end the pandemic. Vaccines are designed to trigger an immune response, without getting a person sick. So what's the status of this coronavirus vaccine?

Today on the show, NPR science correspondent Joe Palca gives us an overview — from how a coronavirus vaccine would work to the challenges of distributing it to the world.

Read more of Joe's reporting on Novavax here and eight different strategies for vaccine development here.

Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Abby Wendle and Viet Le, edited by Deborah George, and fact-checked by Brit Hanson.