The CEO of Pfizer predicts annual vaccinations for many years to come. According to the head of Pfizer, annual vaccinations against Covid will probably be necessary for many years, but some scientists do not consider it necessary; British scientists have modeled the mechanism of thrombus formation after the AstraZeneca injection; in South Africa “Omicron” has become the dominant variant of the coronavirus. The most important news about the pandemic in the world.
Pfizer’s CEO, Dr. Albert Bourla, stated in an interview with the BBC that people will most likely need to receive annual vaccinations for Covid-19 for many years to come. According to him, this is necessary to maintain a “very high level of protection”. The CEO of Pfizer gave an interview to the BBC before the discovery of the “Omikron” variant in South Africa. According to Burly, Pfizer had already developed and produced updated vaccines in response to the “beta” and “delta” variants, but there was no need for them. The company is now working on a vaccine against the Omicron strain. If all goes well, the new vaccine could be ready in three to four months. This year, Pfizer will receive at least $35 billion from sales of its anti-COVID vaccine, and its stock price has risen sharply. However, while the majority of the population in developed countries has received at least one dose of the vaccine, in some African countries less than 5% of the population is vaccinated. Albert Burla did not apologize for making a profit – in his opinion, millions of lives have been saved as a result, and that is the most important thing. “We have saved the global economy trillions of dollars,” he said. “That’s a powerful incentive to innovate in anticipation of the next pandemic.” Burla also rejected accusations of speculation, pointing to the fact that wealthier countries such as the United Kingdom, the first country to approve use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, were the first to place orders for the vaccine, which was initially in short supply. According to Burla, the vaccines were supplied to poorer countries at cost.
A member of the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, Professor Adam Finn, said in an interview with the BBC that the need for annual booster shots against Covid-19 still raises doubts among scientists. “It’s hard to say whether boosters will be needed for an indefinite period of time – it depends on how this virus continues to evolve,” he said. “The flu virus changes every year, and we have to change the vaccine formula and revaccinate people who are at risk. That could happen with the coronavirus, but whether annual revaccination will be necessary is unclear at this point.”
Detailed image of an adenovirus, which is how the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine enters the body. It is only 100 nanometers in size. Scientists believe they have identified a mechanism that in rare cases leads to the formation of blood clots after injection of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. A team of scientists from Wales and the United States has shown how a key component of the vaccine attracts a protein present in the blood. They believe this triggers a chain reaction involving the immune system that can lead to the formation of dangerous blood clots.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is estimated to have saved about one million lives. However, concerns about the possible occurrence of blood clots after vaccination led many countries to replace it with other vaccines, especially when Pfizer and Moderna vaccines became more readily available. “We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what will happen next.” Episodes The end of the story. Advertising Podcasts. Scientists in Cardiff received emergency government funding to find out why blood clots form. After the first results emerged, specialists from AstraZeneca joined them. The AstraZeneca representative emphasized that blood clots are more likely to be caused by the coronavirus than by the vaccine, and that a complete explanation for why they occur has not yet been established. “Although the study does not provide definitive answers, it offers interesting ideas and AstraZeneca is exploring ways to use these results in our efforts to address this extremely rare side effect,” she said. Most vaccines introduce a fragment of the genetic code of the coronavirus into the human body to train the immune system. AstraZeneca used an adenovirus (specifically, a common cold virus from chimpanzees) to do this. Researchers have concluded that adenovirus may be linked to the formation of blood clots. They used cryo-electron microscopy to obtain detailed images of the adenovirus at the molecular level. Their study, published in the journal Science Advances, shows that the outer surface of the adenovirus attracts the protein “platelet factor 4” like a magnet. Scientists believe that the body begins to attack these platelets, mistaking them for part of a foreign adenovirus to which they are attached. As a result, antibodies are released into the blood, which clump together with the platelets and cause the formation of dangerous blood clots. However, this requires special circumstances, which explains why blood clots are quite rare. In the UK, out of nearly 50 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, there have been 73 deaths from vaccine-related thrombosis, known as immune thrombocytopenia.
In Africa, the percentage of people vaccinated against COVID-19 remains very low. Omicron” has now become the dominant coronavirus variant in South Africa. More than 8500 new cases of infection have been registered in the country in the past day. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases reported that more than 70% of all viral genomes sequenced in November belong to the new variant. Many parts of South Africa are experiencing a steady increase in the number of new cases of Covid-19 infection. The Department of Health has reported an increase in seven of the country’s nine provinces. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases said the majority of people who required hospitalization were not vaccinated against the coronavirus. According to the World Health Organization, the new variant has been detected in at least 24 countries worldwide. The African Union and the United Nations have jointly condemned the travel bans imposed by many countries in southern Africa following the discovery of “Omicron”. Prominent South African epidemiologist and member of the African Coronavirus Task Force, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, stated in an interview with the BBC that it is impossible to justify these bans. “The virus is currently detected in more than 20 countries, so to insist on imposing a ban on southern African countries, many of which are not actually experiencing an increase in cases, is in my opinion not a decision that can be justified and supported,” he said. “For me, it clearly carries a discriminatory nature, especially because we have very clear strategies to ensure travel security.” At the same time, Professor Karim acknowledged that the new variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly, although, according to him, doctors cannot yet say what is causing it: improvements in surveillance and registration of new cases or the specificities of the “Omicron” variant.
European Union countries should consider the possibility of mandatory vaccination against Covid-19, according to the head of the European Commission. Ursula von der Leyen stated that vaccines will play a crucial role in combating the new “Omicron” variant. With the introduction of the new version of the EU, travel restrictions have been tightened, but von der Leyen believes that discussing mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for EU members is “understandable and appropriate,” especially considering that one-third of the bloc’s population is not yet vaccinated. Some EU countries are already taking steps in this direction. It is expected that Covid-19 vaccination will become mandatory in Austria from February next year. The future Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, has also stated that he supports mandatory vaccination.
Only vaccinated people and those who have recovered from the coronavirus are allowed to attend Christmas fairs in Germany. The outgoing Chancellor of Germany and her successor Olaf Scholz have announced a national lockdown for the unvaccinated. Those who do not have a vaccination or a certificate of having had coronavirus will be prohibited from visiting public places, except pharmacies, grocery stores and bakeries. This is not just about banning people from buildings, but also outdoor events. For example, unvaccinated people will be banned from attending Christmas fairs and there will be restrictions on the number of people they can meet. Under the new rules, unvaccinated people will be able to meet a maximum of two people from another household. Restrictions on large gatherings of people will also be introduced in the country, which may affect the holding of events such as Bundesliga football matches and concerts. Nightclubs will be closed in areas where the weekly incidence exceeds 350 cases per 100,000 people. On New Year’s Eve, fireworks are also banned to prevent crowds. “Cultural and entertainment events across the country will be accessible only to those who have been vaccinated or have had coronavirus,” Angela Merkel said Thursday. In addition, the authorities are discussing the introduction of compulsory vaccination. If the parliament votes to pass such a law, it could start as early as February 2022. The vaccination rate in Germany is now close to 70%. The infection rate in the country has reached a record high since the pandemic began. Hospitals are sounding the alarm, with many overcrowded and patients forced to seek treatment in other countries. In the past 24 hours, 73,209 new cases of coronavirus infection have been registered in Germany. “Our solutions show that the situation is very serious,” said Angela Merkel, adding that the new rules should be seen as “minimum standards” and that each state can introduce its own, stricter restrictions. “The United Kingdom has struck a deal to buy 114 million doses of the vaccine over the next two years. Meanwhile, poorer countries are unable to administer the first vaccinations to the most vulnerable, warned one of the heads of the World Health Organization, Dr. Michael Ryan”. Ryan, the executive director of the WHO Emergency Program on Health, claims that he is not aware of any evidence of the benefits of boosters for healthy individuals that would allow them to be offered to the entire population. When asked about speeding up the re-vaccination program in the UK, he said: “Some countries that have a surplus of vaccine find it difficult to decide who to give it to, but in many countries around the world that’s not a problem – they can’t even give the initial vaccine to the most vulnerable.” According to Ryan, the most important task now is to immediately offer vaccines to all at-risk individuals, the elderly, and those with underlying medical conditions to ensure that everyone has completed at least the initial course of vaccination, especially in light of the spread of the Delta and Omicron variants.