Professor Ugur Shahin promises that next winter will be normal. The founder of the German company BioNTech, which together with the American Pfizer has developed one of the most promising vaccines against the coronavirus, stated in an interview with the BBC that by next winter the Covid-19 pandemic will practically cease and life on the planet will return to normal.
Earlier this week, BioNtech and Pfizer announced that they had developed a vaccine with 90% efficacy, confirmed by extensive testing. The announcement gave hope to many.
In an interview with the BBC on Sunday, BioNTech founder Ugur Sahin said that thanks to the vaccine, the spread of the virus will be greatly reduced. However, this will not happen until next summer. Like most experts, Sahin says the coming winter will be difficult.
“The winter will be difficult. In winter, our vaccine will not yet affect the dynamics of infection. If all goes well, we will start delivering the drug at the end of this year or the beginning of next year,” Sahin said.
By April, the company plans to deliver 300 million doses of the vaccine to all ordering countries. In the United Kingdom, the first ten million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine will be available by the end of the year, with an additional 30 million doses to be delivered later.
Shahin worked on the vaccine with virologist Ozlem Tureci. “When this happens, the situation will begin to change. The main changes will happen in the summer. What will help us in the summer is that the infection rate will naturally decrease,” the professor said. “And it will be very important to achieve a high level of vaccination before the onset of winter-autumn next year,” the virologist added.
Professor Shakhin expects that further trials of the vaccine will show that it can not only prevent the transmission of Covid-19, but also alleviate the symptoms of the virus. “I am confident that with such an effective vaccine, the level of transmission between people will be reduced – maybe not by 90%, maybe by 50%. But let’s not forget that even such a reduction will lead to a significant slowdown in the spread of the pandemic,” Shahin told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
The companies plan to release 50 million doses by the end of the year, 300 million by April, and more than a billion by 2021. Developed countries will be the first to receive the vaccine. According to the Financial Times, the EU has signed a contract for 200 million doses, the UK for 40 million doses, the US for 100 million doses and Australia for 10 million doses. By some estimates, companies will earn about $13 billion from vaccine sales.
The BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine is not the only promising vaccine against Covid-19. There are currently 12 WHO-approved vaccines in the final stages of testing, six of which have been provisionally approved for limited use. The UK government also ordered batches of vaccines developed at Oxford University in collaboration with AstraZeneca. Development was suspended after the death of a volunteer, but later resumed. The Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense, has developed its own version of the coronavirus vaccine, which is currently in the third phase of clinical trials. Approximately 40,000 Russians are participating in these trials.
“Sputnik V” versus Pfizer’s development: a comparison of coronavirus vaccines. After the authors of the vaccine from BioNTech and Pfizer announced that their product guaranteed 90% effectiveness, Russian developers declared that the effectiveness of their product is 92%. The results of the first two phases of the “Sputnik V” clinical trials were published in the Lancet, but a group of international experts pointed out suspicious coincidences in the data from different test groups and demanded more information about the trials in an open letter to the editors. Among the questions raised by the experts were the speed of publication and confusion over dates. The responses from the Russian developers did not satisfy the authors of the letter. Nevertheless, Russian authorities insist on the safety and efficacy of the “Sputnik V” vaccine. Some prominent Russians, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and one of President Vladimir Putin’s daughters, have already received the first vaccinations.
The BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine requires two injections three weeks apart. The vaccine is based on an experimental approach in which part of the genetic code of the virus is injected to prepare the human immune system to fight it. Clinical trials in the United States, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and Turkey have shown 90 percent protection against the coronavirus seven days after the second injection.
According to Professor Shakhin, it is currently unknown how long immunity will last after vaccination and whether it will be as effective in older people.
We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what will happen next. Episodes The end of the story: Promotional Podcasts. Michelle Roberts, BBC Reviewer
The emergence of the vaccine gives confidence that the end of the pandemic is near, and leading scientists hope that by next winter our lives will be back to normal. However, some very important questions remain unanswered. The vaccine still needs to be approved by regulatory authorities in various countries, and the green light will only be given if they are convinced of its safety and efficacy. Early trial results look promising, but it will be worth waiting for the full data, which will be available in the coming weeks. In addition, there is currently no certainty that the vaccine will be effective in those who need it most, the elderly. We also do not know if this vaccine will be able to not only prevent Covid-19, but also make a person non-infectious. It is also unclear how long the immunity will last. It is possible that people will need to get booster shots every year. And even if the vaccine is used, it will take a long time to immunize enough people. There may be other vaccines in the future, and it is possible that they will work as well or better than this one. But it is very likely that mass vaccination will begin as early as this summer, and then we will experience all of its benefits.