What has Pfizer/BioNTech achieved?

[prasad1]

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The quest for an effective vaccine against Covid-19 has seen a significant step forward, with the announcement of "milestone" results.
Preliminary findings show a vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech can prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19.

What has Pfizer/BioNTech achieved?​

They are the first to share data from the final stages of testing - known as a phase 3 trial.
This is a crucial point in vaccine development, where some experimental vaccines will fail.
The vaccine uses a completely experimental approach, which involves injecting part of the virus's genetic code into people, in order to train the immune system.
About 43,000 people have been given the vaccine, and no safety concerns have been raised.

Covid vaccine update: Those that work - and the others on the way

Covid vaccination campaigns are under way in the UK and across the world.

www.bbc.com

 

[prasad1]

So when will the vaccine become available?​

Pfizer believes it will be able to supply 50 million doses by the end of this year, and around 1.3 billion by the end of 2021.
The UK should get 10 million doses by the end of 2020, with a further 30 million doses already ordered.
Exactly who will be immunised first will depend on where Covid is spreading when the vaccine becomes available and in which groups it is most effective.
The UK has not decided, for example, how to prioritise health and care workers who work with the most vulnerable people, relative to those most at risk if they catch the disease.
In broad terms, the over-80s, care home residents and health or care workers will be near the top of the list.
Age is, by far, the biggest risk factor for Covid, so the older you are, the sooner you are likely to be vaccinated.
Most experts think the vaccine will not be widely available until the middle of 2021.

What other vaccines are being developed?​

More results, from other teams working on advanced trials of other vaccines, are expected in the coming weeks and months.
There are 10 more vaccines in the final stage of testing,
The leading contenders are:

• The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK
• Moderna in the US
• CanSino with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology in China
• Gamaleya Research Institute in Russia
• Janssen
• Beijing Institute of Biological Products and Sinopharm in China
• Sinovac and Instituto Butantan in Brazil
• Wuhan Institute of Biological Products and Sinopharm in China
• Novavax in the US

It is worth noting that four coronaviruses already circulate in human beings. They cause common cold symptoms and we don't have vaccines for any of them.

Covid vaccine update: Those that work - and the others on the way

Covid vaccination campaigns are under way in the UK and across the world.

www.bbc.com

 

[prasad1]

Would a vaccine protect everyone?​

Not everyone responds the same to immunisation.
People will be watching the results in older people closely, because they are most at risk from the virus.
But history also suggests any vaccine could be less successful in old people because an aged immune system does not respond as well to immunisation. We see this every year with the annual flu jab.
It may be possible to overcome this by either giving multiple doses or giving it alongside a chemical (called an adjuvant) that gives the immune system a boost.

Covid vaccine update: Those that work - and the others on the way

Covid vaccination campaigns are under way in the UK and across the world.

www.bbc.com

 

[ekaputra]

Maybe this is slightly off thread - it is not about vaccine but still it is to do with corona.

What we keep seeing on TV (in India) is that we should wear masks for our protection and the relative utility / benefit of each type (N95, surgical, cloth and so on).

But, a post on the Net said that the protection to the wearer is minimal. By wearing a mask a virus carrier greatly reduces the propagation i.e. the mask truly provides protection to others in the vicinity rather than to the person wearing it.

If this the fact, then our local channels are merely echoing popular perception and most people who believe that wearing a high quality mask provides high level of protection may be in fact exposing themselves when they leave the safety of their homes.

Fellow members residing in USA and other advanced countries can share their knowledge.

 

[prasad1]

Maybe this is slightly off thread - it is not about vaccine but still it is to do with corona.

What we keep seeing on TV (in India) is that we should wear masks for our protection and the relative utility / benefit of each type (N95, surgical, cloth and so on).

But, a post on the Net said that the protection to the wearer is minimal. By wearing a mask a virus carrier greatly reduces the propagation i.e. the mask truly provides protection to others in the vicinity rather than to the person wearing it.

If this the fact, then our local channels are merely echoing popular perception and most people who believe that wearing a high quality mask provides high level of protection may be in fact exposing themselves when they leave the safety of their homes.

Fellow members residing in USA and other advanced countries can share their knowledge.

I have a new thread about mask.

 

[ekaputra]

I have a new thread about mask.

I read it and thanks! I do share such information with friends and relatives and friendly staff in shops I occasionally need to visit.

 

[tbs]

hi

generally billions of dollars achieved.....making profit during corona period...