I keep seeing the suggestion that the coronavirus pandemic can't be controlled until we have a vaccine. This is such a dangerous line of thinking. The fastest time a vaccine has ever been developed in is 5 years.

If our strategy becomes to "wait" for a vaccine (and we don't yet know that it's even possible to develop one that works), then millions of "vulnerable" people would be asked to isolate themselves for years. This is both unfair and impractical.

Holding out on the hope of a vaccine isn't a strategy. Widespread testing, contact-tracing and quarantining to contain the virus and prevent widespread infection is a strategy.