[ad_1]
The scientist behind the Pfizer vaccine told Sky News that people in the UK could get vaccinated against the coronavirus in the middle of next month.
Speaking in his first interview with a UK broadcaster, Professor Ugur Sahin, co-founder of the German company BioNTech, said that the first vaccines could be rolled out to patients across the country by mid-December.
But he said it would depend on whether the UK regulator authorizes it in time, adding: “The earliest time for vaccine supply will not be before mid-December.
“And mid-December will not mean that the situation will change drastically. It will be a difficult winter. It will get worse before it gets better.”
But he said that with the help of the vaccine, “we could get back to normal life by the middle of next year.”
He described the news that the jab is 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 as an “exceptional result”.
“We do not expect that, as serious scientists, we will consider the potential efficacy between 60, 70 and 80%.”
When asked if he felt under pressure after trials revealed that the hit is 90% effectiveHe said: “Of course. But it is not a race between them, it is a race against time.”
Professor Sahin said that while the world awaits security checks and government clearances, the best people can do is wear a mask and maintain social distancing.
“Everyone has a responsibility. It is not just about governments. The most important aspect is to wear a mask, be careful and prevent too many people from spending too much time in one room.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
When asked if he will get the vaccine, he told Sky News: “Yes, of course, I would take it the first day I am allowed.”
Despite his newfound global fame, Professor Sahin, 55, said he does not have a television and will continue to cycle to work despite his company’s shares soaring to $ 21 billion.
“We want to continue to focus on our work. I’m middle class, it’s completely fine to lead a normal middle class life, we don’t need anything beyond that.”
Professor Sahin and his wife Ozlem Tureci, 53, are co-founders of the German biotech company working with Pfizer on one of the top 12 coronavirus vaccine trials.
Professor Sahin, 55, and his wife founded BioNTech in 2008
Both of Turkish descent, they met while working in oncology in Germany, establishing their first firm together in 2001.
They founded BioNTech in 2008 and sold the other company for £ 1 billion in 2016.
When Professor Sahin came across a scientific paper on a coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China in January this year, he was struck by how similar his cancer antibody drugs were to those needed for potential viral vaccines.
BioNTech quickly assigned around 500 employees to project the “speed of light” to work on various possible compounds, winning pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and Chinese drugmaker Fosun as partners in March.
Less than nine months later, the couple is the first person in the world to offer any hope that the pandemic will come to an end.
