The official number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection since the beginning of the pandemic has exceeded 50 million, Pfizer has announced that its vaccine is 90% effective, student demonstrations in Cologne have escalated into clashes with police, and Hungary is under partial lockdown. This and other news on the coronavirus pandemic can be found in our daily update.
Preliminary results show that scientists have developed the first truly effective vaccine that provides 90% protection against the coronavirus. Developing companies Pfizer and BioNTech called the event a great day for science and humanity. Clinical trials involved 43,500 people from six countries and no side effects were observed. The developers plan to apply for emergency certification to have the new vaccine ready for use by the end of November. This vaccine, along with the latest treatments, is considered to be the best chance to put an end to the limitations that have recently been associated with our entire lives. Approximately ten different vaccines are currently in the final stages of clinical trials, but this is the first to demonstrate high efficacy. It is based on an experimental approach in which a portion of the virus’ genetic code is injected to prepare the human immune system to fight it.
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Previous studies have shown that the vaccine stimulates the body’s production of antibodies and T lymphocytes that fight the coronavirus. Two doses of the vaccine are given three weeks apart. Clinical trials in the United States, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and Turkey have shown that 90% protection against coronavirus is achieved seven days after the second injection. Pfizer expects to be able to produce 50 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year, and about 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. The new vaccine will have to be stored at a very low temperature of -80°C. There are also questions about the duration of efficacy, and the developers have not provided data on the efficacy of the vaccine in different age groups. However, as Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Developers have come much closer to providing people around the world with the vaccine and helping to overcome this global crisis. Professor Ugur Sahin, one of the founders of BioNTech, described the new vaccine as a major achievement.
The current data presented on the vaccine cannot be considered complete. They are based on the results of testing on the first 94 volunteers diagnosed with Covid-19, so more accurate data on its efficacy will be available once all the results have been processed. But one of the experts in the field, Professor Peter Holby of Oxford University, said the news of this vaccine made him smile from ear to ear. “This is a huge relief,” he said. “There is still a long way to go before vaccines really start to change the situation, but it seems to me that this is a turning point.” The development companies say they will have enough information by the third week of November to submit an application to regulatory authorities for official approval of the vaccine. National vaccination campaigns cannot yet begin. However, the United Kingdom has already requested 30 million doses. Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, wrote on Twitter that the vaccine became possible thanks to the public-private program Warp Speed, which, according to him, includes Pfizer. “Thanks to the partnership between the government and the private sector, facilitated by President Donald Trump, Pfizer has announced a 90% effectiveness rate in preventing infection during testing on volunteers,” he wrote.
Mike Pence cited the emergence of a new vaccine as a result of the Warp Speed Program. Pfizer’s head of vaccine development, Katherine Jensen, disagreed. “We were never part of the Warp Speed program… We have never received money from the U.S. government or anyone else,” she said in an interview with the New York Times. The $12 billion Warp Speed program was launched by the Trump administration in May with the goal of providing a vaccine to every American by early 2021.
The official number of confirmed COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic has exceeded 50 million. According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 1.25 million people have died. Experts believe that the actual number of infected people is higher, as the testing system in many countries leaves much to be desired. According to Reuters, a quarter of all cases are attributed to the second wave of the pandemic. The United States continues to lead the world in the number of people infected, with nearly 10 million people testing positive for Covid-19. For the third consecutive day, the country has recorded more than 125,000 cases of infection per day.
In the French city of Compiègne, a demonstration by students unhappy with the continued operation of educational institutions during the lockdown ended in clashes with police. According to the protesters, keeping schools and universities open during the pandemic poses a threat to those who attend them. (Note: The number of offers is the same in the translation) Police said four people were arrested and one firefighter was injured. Law enforcement officials said the behavior of some of the demonstrators – who set fire to cars and damaged other people’s property – was unacceptable. The city’s mayor, Philippe Marini, called the incident an attack on the police. In France, the lockdown is now in its second week. On Sunday, the country recorded over 86.8 thousand new cases of infection, which is a daily record for the country since the beginning of the pandemic.
A partial lockdown will be introduced in Hungary on Tuesday and will last for at least a month, the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced. Among the measures introduced to combat the spread of the coronavirus are the closure of cafes and restaurants, restrictions on the gathering of large numbers of people and the extension of curfew hours. High school and college students will study online, hotels will be able to accommodate only those traveling for business, and all sporting events will be held behind closed doors. “If the number of coronavirus infections continues to grow at the same rate, Hungarian hospitals will not be able to cope with such an influx,” the prime minister announced. On Monday, more than 5,100 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the country, with 55 infected people dying.
President-elect Joe Biden addressed the coronavirus situation and announced the formation of an advisory group of 13 scientists. He urged Americans to wear masks to protect themselves and others from infection. In the United States, the wearing or refusal to wear masks has taken on a political tone. According to Biden, the vaccine development process needs to be transparent so that Americans can have confidence in it. He warned that they should expect to wait several more months for it. “We are facing a big task that is becoming more and more complicated. Although I haven’t taken the reins of power yet, I’m talking about what we plan to do and I hope to achieve something before I take the oath,” he said.
The mutation of the coronavirus strain found in minks in Denmark has occurred before, Dutch scientists report. The mutated virus was found in the Netherlands on fur farms where these animals are bred. Mink were killed and no one became infected. Outbreaks were reported on fur farms in six countries – the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the United States.
Mink are capable of contracting the coronavirus and transmitting it to humans.