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Epidemiologist professor Luke O’Neill has said he is confident that a vaccine for Covid-19 will be available by the end of the year.
Professor O’Neill, a biochemist at Trinity College Dublin, suggested that the data from the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is very promising.
Pfizer has said that it expects the use of emergency authorization in the United States for its Covid-19 vaccine by the third week of November.
Professor O’Neill said the Pfizer statement was very promising. He noted that Barclay’s Investment Bank has separately analyzed the data and is forecasting three vaccines approved for Christmas and five more by the middle of next year.
In a statement last month, the bank predicted that the Pfizer vaccine has an 85 percent chance of approval and will be quickly followed by others.
The bank also believes that most populations in the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom will be vaccinated by the end of the third quarter of next year.
“It’s a sign that people are seeing this in a positive light,” Professor O’Neill told The Brendan O’Connor Show on RTÉ Radio 1.
“Some may work better than others. The question is who will be the most effective. The more we have, the better. ”
It revealed that there are hundreds of millions of Covid-19 vaccines already available, as drug companies anticipate success.
“Can you imagine before Christmas if the headline is that the vaccine shows efficacy? They are going to increase production in the coming months. ”
In addition, antigen tests are being developed that will be able to immediately indicate whether people are positive or negative for Covid-19.
He predicted that these antigen tests will become more widely available in the next two to three months and will make a return to normal life safer.
Professor O’Neill said there is other good news about Covid-19 with the efficiency of treatment, as the number of people dying in ICUs dropped from 39 to 12 percent globally.
“The signs are that they are improving a lot in treating patients,” he said.
However, he added that the government needs more restrictions, but should not introduce Level 5 restrictions, especially those that only allow people to travel within five kilometers of their home.
“They have to do something to lower the numbers. I can’t see a full Level 5, but what happens next? What’s the plan when we get out of it? “
In the letter published Friday, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the company should know whether the vaccine is effective or not by the end of October, but cautioned that this data “may come sooner or later depending on changes in the infection rates “among trial participants.
“To ensure public confidence and clear up a lot of confusion, I believe it is essential that the public understand our estimated timelines,” he added.
To receive emergency clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration, Pfizer will need to submit safety data for at least half of the trial participants, describing how they reacted during the two months after the final dose. .
“Let me be clear, assuming positive data, Pfizer will apply for the use of emergency authorization in the US shortly after the safety milestone is achieved in the third week of November,” Bourla said.
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