World Vaccine Congress USA Virtual - May 4-6, 2021

Polychrones, J.

The 21st World Vaccine Congress, held on May 4-6, 2021, virtually, was organized by Terrapinn and engaged academia, researchers, technology companies, pharmaceutical executives, scientists and military personnel in a 3-day discussion about the current state of global vaccine development. COVID-19 largely dominated panel discussions and presentations, comprising the majority of sessions. The meeting opened with the conference chair, Gregory Poland (Mayo Clinic), and subsequent presentations outlined ongoing clinical studies for vaccines to prevent COVID-19, including emerging technologies that could change the landscape of vaccine administration and the efficacy of vaccines against variants of concern. In addition to COVID-19, presenters offered results from studies of cancer vaccines for melanoma, human papillomavirus and glioblastoma and an update on a Food and Drug Administration-approved cholera vaccine under evaluation for use in pediatric patients. The entirety of day 3 consisted of panel discussions about COVID-19 vaccines for pediatric patients, tackling future pandemics, the threat of misinformation in a public health emergency, and the use of databases to streamline COVID-19 efforts. Dr. Poland provided take-home remarks that emphasized the need for preparedness and said, "While COVID-19 was a surprise, it should not have been a shock. We have been warned many times in many ways." He concluded that, moving forward, 2 significant cultural problems remain: "scientific illiteracy and the false notion of the democratization of expertise."