The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live – and a vaccine is our best hope to resume normal life. While studies of possible COVID-19 vaccines continue, questions emerge: How close are we to a vaccine? Should children, pregnant women, and the elderly be included in vaccine trials? How successful does a vaccine have to be in order to be considered effective? Dr. Ruth Karron is the Director of the Center for Immunization Research and of the Johns Hopkins Vaccine Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and is considered one of the top vaccine experts in the world. Dr. Karron sits down with Dr. Josh Sharfstein to tell us more about how COVID-19 vaccine trials are evaluating vaccine safety, why it’s important to have racial and ethnic diversity in vaccine trials, and how we can build trust with communities to allay concerns about the vaccine. This episode is borrowed from “Public Health on Call,” the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s podcast – hosted by Dr. Josh Sharfstein, Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement, and a frequent guest on our show. Read more about the COVID-19 vaccine on the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health site here: https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/articles/a-top-vaccine-expert-answers-important-questions-about-a-covid-19-vaccine.html