“The Vaccine: Conquering Covid” Cutting-Edge Science Behind Creating a Vaccine to Conquer COVID-19 Premiering Sunday, February 21 @ 8PM

What does it take to create a vaccine in record time to once and for all eradicate a global pandemic? What measures are in place to ensure its safety? And how did the world’s leading doctors and healthcare experts develop it? Today, Discovery announced a timely special, THE VACCINE: CONQUERING COVID premiering Sunday, February 21 at 8 PM PT/ET on Discovery and streaming on discovery+.

In addition to watching THE VACCINE: CONQUERING COVID on Discovery, viewers can stream the special on discovery+. Follow the conversation on social media with #ConqueringCOVID, and follow Discovery on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more updates. You can also follow discovery+ on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The special will also air on Monday, February 22, at 9 PM ET/PT on the Science Channel.

“With everything the world has been through over the last year, the public craves an understanding of what is happening and what is yet to come,” said Nancy Daniels, Chief Brand Officer, Discovery & Factual. “We are proud to present this deep-dive into the COVID-19 crisis to Discovery audiences, detailing the work of thousands of men and women around the world who are proving there is hope is on the horizon.”

Set against the backdrop of a rising global death count and a pandemic that has left the world on edge, the special goes behind the scenes of the race for a vaccine and features interviews with the world’s leading doctors involved including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health; and Dr. John Mascola of the National Institutes of Health, as well as interviews with scientists from leading pharmaceutical companies including Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer.

The special also details the heroic efforts of early trial volunteers, including Jen Haller, a Seattle resident who became the first person in the United States to receive the Moderna vaccine. Viewers will hear firsthand accounts from those at the forefront of the pandemic as well as from leaders such Colorado Governor Jared Polis who details the strategy behind successfully rolling out and distributing the vaccines to the masses and the hurdles leaders are facing along the way.

After claiming the lives of more than 1.3 million people globally and sickening nearly 53 million, one solution has become the only clear path to conquering this complicated, complex virus and giving the world hope again – finding the vaccine.

In what would become one of the most extraordinary scientific accomplishments in a generation, the early development of the COVID-19 vaccines has not only given the world reason to hope an end to the pandemic is near, but that life will soon return back to normal. The race for a vaccine has also revolutionized the process in creating a vaccine – following a timeline that many considered impossible.

With new challenges at every turn – including early hurdles with clinical trials and the enormous financial risks – the race to develop a successful vaccine does not have a guaranteed winner. All the while, the traditional rules are being re-written along the way.

THE VACCINE: CONQUERING COVID is produced Glass Entertainment Group for Discovery. Nancy Glass, Eric Neuhaus, Peter Reiss and Jon Hirsch are Executive Producers for Glass; Caroline Perez and Lindsey Foster Blumberg are Executive Producers for Science Channel and Discovery.