According to the latest reports, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and shows 90% protection within seven days after the second dose.
The vaccine, which has been tested in participants in the U.S., Germany, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and Turkey, could be a real game-changer in this battle against COVID-19 and could prove to be the first effective coronavirus vaccine.
Two doses, three weeks apart, were prescribed to study participants. While the data presented is still based on initial results, the findings are promising, and the developers could be one step closer to providing people all around the globe much-needed relief from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pfizer and BioNTech plan to apply for emergency approval soon, and a limited number of people may get access to it this year. According to both the companies, they will have sufficient safety data by the third week of November to be able to take this vaccine for approval to the regulators.
It is expected that the companies will be able to supply 50 million doses by the end of 2020 and 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. The vaccine is to be given in two doses, three weeks apart.
These findings are not based on the final analysis. There are still several questions that need to be answered. Will the vaccine stop the spread of the coronavirus or just protect people from developing symptoms? Will it work equally well in all patient populations? How long will the immunity last? All these will eventually be answered, but for now, the path seems optimistic.
Let's hope the power of science and our hope and optimism can help us pull through this global health crisis. In any case, this is a great milestone and something to celebrate.
Source: BBC
Image Credit: iStock
