Dr. Ashish Zai called on Monday Pfizer’s vaccine news – Preliminary data on his Covid-19 vaccine suggest the shots could be 90 percent effective – a clear “positive step.”
The dean of Brown University School of Public Health said in an interview with Today that the update from the drug company was “good news.”
“I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised,” said Zhao. “We were all hoping to hear about the vaccine earlier this month or earlier this month. And I expected that a vaccine would be 70 percent effective if we were lucky. So this is better than I expected. ”
The public health expert reminded viewers that it remains “early” when it comes to vaccine production and that it will take time to reach the American people. He said more information was still needed from Pfizer about how many doses they had taken before a clear timeline could be established for vaccine delivery.
“But this is clearly a positive step,” he said.
The doctor stressed that even with the news of the vaccine, immediate steps need to be taken to curb the spread of the virus across the country. The United States is breaking previous records of new everyday coronavirus cases. On Sunday, the country averaged more than 100,000 daily cases in the past week and an average of 900 people die every day, According to the New York Times.
Zhao said the national mask command and comprehensive testing “could make a profound difference in controlling the virus.”
“We are entering two of the hardest months of the epidemic,” he said. “I expect a lot of people to get sick and die. We’ve really started acting. “
Talked to @ hodakotb On @TODAY Show About Pfizer Vaccine, what Jobiden Epidemiological team should
The vaccine? Early appearance but very good news
Epidemic team? Soon, focus on masks and more and more widely available for testing https://t.co/keFJKoh6c3
– Ashish K. Ha (ashishkjha) November 9, 2020
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