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Even the competition is euphoric. Biontech and Pfizer’s corona vaccine candidate promises 90 percent effectiveness. Technology and progress are a “breakthrough”, praises Roche boss Severin Schwan (52).
The vaccine should finally pave the way back to normal, as we knew it before from Corona. BLICK answers the most important questions about our position in the fight against the virus.
Does the vaccine provide complete protection against corona?
No. The vaccine only protects the vaccinated person from a severe course of disease after infection. Christian Münz (51), a virologist at the University of Zurich, believes that. “We will probably have to maintain protective measures for a transitional phase despite vaccination,” he tells BLICK.
How long does the vaccination last?
With Biontech and Pfizer’s currently most promising vaccination candidate, an mRNA vaccine, it needs regular boosters to refresh the effect, explains Münz. In immunology, this means repeating the vaccination to increase the formation of antibodies in the patient.
When can I get vaccinated?
Optimists like the virologist Münz hope that vaccinations will begin in Switzerland in the first six months of next year. “I am sure that the tests are sufficient and that there will be no unexpected surprises after market launch,” says the virologist.
Can there be unexpected side effects?
Yes. Side effects or quality problems often only arise when a drug is widely used. This is rarely the case for vaccines, a Swissmedic spokesperson told VIEW. “The regulatory requirements for safety and quality are very high even with such rapid development as is the case with corona vaccines,” he says.
Is the vaccine enough for everyone?
No. The health expert of the non-governmental organization Public Eye, Patrick Durisch (55), knows this: around five billion doses of vaccines are planned for 2021. Of this, four billion cans have already been reserved by rich nations, including Switzerland. The problem: That leaves just 1 billion doses for the remaining 80 percent of the world’s population.
Can we travel again after vaccination?
There is still no sure answer for that today. “You have to watch immunization in rich countries and see how it works,” says the virologist Münz. “Industrialized nations can then be immune to possible infections when they travel or visit less immunized countries.”
When is a country immune?
If 60 percent of a country is immunized, we speak of herd immunity. “Covid-19 will not go away completely,” said virologist Münz of the University of Zurich. “Only the general population will be more robust and there will only be isolated cases of serious disease.”
