Get back to normal and wait, Modern: the vaccine does not mean that the virus can be prevented from spreading | TechNews

The good news about the new coronavirus vaccine (COVID-19) continues. So far, there are at least 3 experimental vaccines in the world that have shown significant efficacy. They will soon be applied to people at an affordable price. It’s over, but Moderna’s medical director, Tal Zaks, cautioned that the public should not over-interpret the results of the vaccine’s tests and that life may have to wait for it to fully return to normal.

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is one of three vaccines that have shown efficacy in trial results. Moderna said the vaccine can effectively protect people against infections caused by the new coronavirus, with an effective rate of 94.5%. You will get an emergency vaccine from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before the end of November. In addition, Pfizer has also applied for emergency clearance from the FDA. AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford also reported that their vaccine is effective against COVID-19 infection.

The price was also announced and Moderna will charge the EU government a fee of US $ 25-37 per dose, depending on the amount of vaccine it has ordered. The European Commission hopes to reach an agreement with Moderna to provide millions of vaccine candidates at a price of less than $ 25 per dose. The US government has obtained 100 million doses of the Moderna vaccine for Americans at $ 15 each.

The chief executive of Pfizer assured consumers that the vaccine will be free to all US citizens. You may be referring to the first 100 million doses that the US government ordered in advance. Pfizer has promised to deliver the product by the end of this year and it is possible to extend the contract with the government to 500 million doses in 2021. The wholesale price agreed in the contract with the government is $ 20 per dose. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses, 3 weeks apart.

But after the government plans to eliminate it, it may turn out to be more expensive for retail customers. Moderna said it will sell the vaccine to certain customers at a price of $ 32 to $ 37 per dose. Like Pfizer, Moderna’s vaccine requires two doses.

AstraZeneca also reached a $ 1.2 billion agreement with the United States government to provide up to 300 million doses to Americans. The US government has agreed to purchase the vaccine at a price of less than $ 4 per dose. AstraZeneca is a member of Covax. Covax is a global program that aims to distribute 2 billion doses of vaccines to 92 low- and middle-income countries, with each dose not exceeding US $ 3.

Even if the effectiveness of the vaccine is higher than expected and the price remains affordable for the average person, Moderna’s medical director cautioned that although the test results show that the vaccine can prevent serious illness or disease caused by the COVID-19 infection, has not shown that the vaccine can stop the spread of the virus.

Tal Zaks, Moderna’s chief medical officer, believes vaccines are likely to prevent transmission according to science, but there is no conclusive evidence yet. He said: “The vaccine does not mean that a person can potentially and temporarily carry the virus and infect other people. There is not enough specific data to show that this vaccine can reduce transmission …It is important that we do not change our behavior based solely on vaccines.“In summary, even if drug manufacturers strive to produce safe and effective vaccines at an alarming rate, it may take some time to demonstrate that it will completely end the global pandemic and aid economic recovery.

(Source of the first image: Flickr / Chad Davis CC BY 2.0)

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