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Life may return to “normal” next winter, but it will remain “difficult”. The message of hope, accompanied by the warning, is from Ugur Sahin, president of the German biotechnology company BioNTech, which gave hope to the world with its promising vaccine against covid-19, in collaboration with the pharmaceutical giant Pzifer.
Ugur Sahin, 55, believes the impact of a new covid-19 vaccine could have an impact significant effect during summer next year and that life will be “normal” again next winter. However, the BioNTech co-founder warns, this winter will continue to be “tough”, as the vaccine would not yet have a major impact on the number of infections.
In an interview on the BBC television program “The Andrew Marr Show”, Sahin said he was confident that the vaccine reduce human-to-person transmission, as well as stop the development of symptoms in whoever is vaccinated. The vaccine may halve transmission, which would have a “big impact”.
“I am very confident that human-to-human transmission will be reduced with such an effective vaccine, perhaps not 90%, but 50% -but we must not forget that even this can result in a dramatic reduction in the spread of the pandemic ”, he guaranteed.
After the announcement Monday that the Pfizer vaccine would be 90% effective, John Bell, a professor of medicine at the University of Oxford, suggested that life could return to normal next spring. “I’m probably the first to say that, but I say it with some confidence,” he said. However, Sahin believes that it may be necessary some more time.
If all goes well, the vaccine will begin to be distributed in the “end of this year, beginning of next year”, assured the president of BioNTech. The goal is to deliver more than 300 million doses All over the world Until April, which “could allow us to start making an impact.”
The biggest shock, however, should come later: “Summer will help us because the infection rate will decrease and what is absolutely essential is that we have a high vaccination rate until or before the fall / winter of next year, “Sahin explained, adding that it was” essential “that all immunization programs be completed by next fall.
When asked if the vaccine was as effective in older people as it was in younger people, the official said he hopes to get a better idea in the next three weeks, as it is not yet known how long the immunity will last after the second dose of the vaccine is given. .
However, a booster vaccination “It shouldn’t be too complicated” if immunity is found to be significantly lowered after one year.
Sahin also said that the “main side effects” of the vaccine seen so far were a mild to moderate pain at the injection site for a few days, while some participants had a mild to moderate fever during a similar period.
“We did not see any other serious side effects that would result in the study being stopped or suspended. “The vaccine produced by BioNTech and Pzifer is one of 11 currently in the final phase of testing.
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