**2. The development of biotechnology as one of the factors of the positive impact of the pandemic**

Despite its negative impact, the pandemic primarily gave impetus to the development of biotechnology that ensured creation of effective tools to combat the coronavirus. Biotechnology, in addition to traditional fields such as genetics or molecular biology, is also based on information technology. Computer modelling tools provide wide opportunities for modern biotechnologies. Those tools ensure faster study of viruses, identification of their genome and, as a consequence, development of new testing methods and disease prevention. The innovative biotechnology tools accelerated study of sequence of the new coronavirus genome. As a result of their application in just a few weeks after discovery of the disease [1, 2], its virus genome has been analysed.

Prompt decoding and computer modelling of the virus created conditions for development of express coronavirus tests [3]. Moreover, biotechnologies ensured the development of various types of vaccines against the virus [4] based on different methods. In that context, biotech companies have become a kind of founders in the hope of fighting against the pandemic as they are at the forefront of research to develop vaccines and treatments.

It is the development of modern biotechnology that has led to such a rapid development of various vaccines in such a short time. Considering urgency of the situation U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised several vaccines for emergency use. Thus, based on clinical research results as of March 2, 2021 CDC information confirms [5–7] the efficacy of the approved vaccines as shown in **Figure 1**.

Although vaccines are the most important tool developed because of the application of biotechnology in the fight against coronavirus, their effectiveness at the initial stage caused a heated discussion in the media. Moreover, their use and side effects have become the subject of massive misinformation and rumours among population. In order to avoid similar phenomena in the future and to help

**Figure 1.**

*Efficacy of the CDC approved vaccines. Data of 2 March 2021.*

biotechnological companies and states to correctly develop their strategy for working with the media, we consider it necessary to analyse information and most common media cases related to the pandemic in this context.
