Coronavirus: Vaccine and PCR tests are no panacea

Blind belief in technology poses risk of possibly serious consequences

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No matter how careful vaccine development and production may be, data shows that immunization could produce serious side effects, even at a very low rate. © Reuters

JUNICHI TAKI, Nikkei senior staff writer

TOKYO -- There is no such thing as perfect technology. And while there are growing expectations for a vaccine and better testing techniques for COVID-19, too much hope could lead to grave mistakes.

The U.S. government in late April unveiled "Operation Warp Speed," an aggressive COVID-19 vaccine development program that aims to have at least 300 million doses available in the country by January. It is a bold plan, but a blind belief in technology could prevent a proper understanding of infectious disease measures.

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