Although COVID-19 arose and spread incredibly quickly, scientists have been studying this type of virus and how to prevent it for many years. So, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, vaccines could be created very rapidly without compromising  safety or quality measures. COVID-19 vaccines went through all the normal testing that other vaccines go through, just at a faster pace. They were tested by tens of thousands of people consenting to participate in these safety studies before they were released to the public.