Pfizer-BioNTech Coronavirus Vaccine Delivery Could Begin Later This Year



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According to the head of the pharmaceutical company BioNTech, the new vaccines could create a much better epidemic situation already in the summer, and life can return completely to normal next winter, but this requires that as many people as possible receive the coronavirus vaccine.

BioNtech and pharmaceutical group Pfizer announced earlier this month that the effectiveness of their jointly developed vaccine will exceed 90 percent based on the results of clinical trials and studies to date.

Professor Ugur Sahin, co-founder and CEO of BioNtech, said in a statement on Sunday’s political-public magazine program on BBC British Public Service Television: the vaccine would dramatically reduce the spread of the coronavirus epidemic even if it were 50 percent effective.

He added that there were no side effects during the trials that would have required the vaccine trial to stop. Subjects who experienced any adverse effects experienced no more than mild or moderate pain at the injection site for a few days or also had a short-term mild or moderate fever.

The BioNTech German pharmaceutical manufacturing headquarters in Mainz on November 9, 2020.Source: MTI / AP / DPA / Arne Dedert

The director of BioNTech told the BBC on Sunday that this winter will continue to be harsh, as the new vaccine will not have a significant impact on infection figures this winter. He said that if all goes well, the two companies developing the vaccine will start shipping the vaccine later this year, early next year.

According to Professor Sahin, the goal is to have more than 300 million doses of the vaccine on the market by April, and this will already have a notable initial impact on the spread of the epidemic. However, for the arrival of next summer, a serious impact is expected, especially since the summer will help curb the spread of the epidemic anyway, said the CEO of BioNtech. He stressed that the most important thing is to achieve a high vaccination rate at the beginning of the next autumn-winter period.

Source: AFP

Professor Sahin said he is confident this will happen, especially since many other companies are also developing vaccines. Said: based on all of this next winter, life can return to normal.When asked how long the vaccine might remain effective after administration, the head of BioNTech said studies were still needed to determine this.

However, he added that it may not be a serious problem to have to be vaccinated from time to time, for example every year, but it could also be that the population only needs to be revaccinated every two to five years. Professor Sahin also emphasized that he did not consider that a mutation could drastically alter the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes Covid-19 disease.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at a recent press conference that the British government has already ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

According to Johnson, Britain will be at the forefront of the international field in terms of vaccine numbers per capita, and if the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine passes all strict safety checks, the UK government, led by the Public Health Service ( NHS), the vaccine will begin nationwide. dissemination.

Without mentioning details, he added that the government had ordered an additional 300 million doses of five other vaccines in development.



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