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Initial data shows that the new corona vaccine developed by US-based multinational pharmaceutical company Pfizer and German pharmaceutical company BioNTech has an effective rate of 90%.
The two companies described this as “a good day for humans and science.”
The vaccine is reported to have undergone 43,500 trials in six countries and no safety concerns have been found. The two companies are expected to quickly apply for official pharmaceutical licenses before the end of November.
Experts note that this is the fastest vaccine in human history that has been designed from the ground up until it has been successfully developed.
The analysis noted that while there are still some challenges facing the mass market, the emergence of this vaccine at least gives people hope that the world will return to normal next spring.
Sir John Bell, a professor of medicine at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, said he is confident that the new vaccine will be launched and society will function normally again.
Here are the answers the BBC has found for the six most common questions.
How effective is the new vaccine?
Generally, the new coronavirus vaccine plus improved treatment is considered the only way that people around the world can finally resume their normal lives before the epidemic.
The experimental results of this new vaccine in six countries: the United States, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, South Africa and Turkey show that 90% of people can obtain immunity to the new coronavirus after receiving two injections in seven days.
Dr. Albert Bourla, president of the Pfizer Group in the United States, said the advent of the new vaccine is an “urgently needed advance” in humanity’s efforts to end the global epidemic crisis.
One of the founders of BioNTech, Professor Ugur Sahin, described the vaccine as a “milestone”.
When will the vaccine be available?
Before the end of 2020, only a very limited range of people in the world can reportedly receive the vaccine.
The two drug companies hope that by the end of November it will be possible to deliver sufficient data to the government’s health drug regulatory agency for approval. Before obtaining government permission, mass production and marketing are impossible.
Pharmaceutical companies expect that once licensed, it will be possible to produce and supply around 50 million vaccines worldwide by the end of 2020, and around 1.3 billion vaccines by the end of 2021.
The UK is reported to receive around 10 million units by the end of 2020, and the UK has already ordered 30 million units in advance.
Who has priority injection rights?
Since not everyone has immediate access to vaccines, many people want to know how to prioritize the supply of vaccines.
According to the British government, medical personnel will have top priority in obtaining vaccines, followed by those most likely to be infected with viral diseases, such as the elderly and those with certain diseases.
The UK is likely to prioritize vaccinations for the elderly and nursing home staff after medical staff.
Healthy people under 50 will be ranked last on the priority list.
Are there potential problems?
There are still some questions that require more data and answers. For example, it is not known whether people who have been vaccinated will no longer spread the virus and whether people at high risk may be just as effective. So how long can immunity last?
It may take several months for these problems to clear up.
In addition to the problem of vaccine distribution, mass production and global supply will also be a big logistical problem, because the vaccine must be stored at a low temperature of minus 80 degrees Celsius before injection.
What is the principle of the new vaccine?
There are currently about a dozen different types of new coronavirus vaccines in the final stage, which is called the third stage of the experiment, and the vaccines mentioned above are the first to show high efficiency.
This is a completely experimental therapy: scientists extract part of the protein encoded by ribonucleic acid within the virus, add lipids and introduce it into human cells; the vaccine is imported into human cells to express the gene for the novel coronavirus spike protein; the human immune system then produces antibodies and activates them T cells to destroy infected cells.
How is the reaction from all walks of life?
Professor Chris Whitty, the British government’s chief medical adviser, said the new vaccine demonstrates “the power of science” and will give people a “reason for optimism” in 2021.
The president-elect of the United States, Biden, called this “great news.”
But Biden added: “It is also important that people do not forget that it may take several months to completely finish the fight against the new corona epidemic.”
A spokesman for the British Prime Minister’s Office called the above results “good” and said the British National Medical System will always be ready to prioritize high-risk populations.
Professor Peter Horby, a professor at the University of Oxford, said humorously that he was delighted with the news and “smiles.”