Pfizer Developed Covid-19 Vaccine That is Shown to be More Than 90% Effective

The pharmaceutical company Pfizer, in partnership with BioNTech, announced that they’ve developed a Covid-19 vaccine candidate that is more than 90 percent effective at about seven days after the dose. According to their press release, they are expecting to produce around 50 million doses of the vaccine by the end of 2020 and 1.3 billion doses in 2021. 

The press release said that the testing included people who were given the vaccine and people who were given a placebo. Over 43,000 volunteers participated in the study and around 38,000 of them have received the second dose. Of those 43,000, 94 participants have gotten sick. 

Margaret Gruenke is a registered nurse in health and wellness in Wisconsin. She said that the vaccine needs one dose followed by a second dose that serves as a “booster” in order to provide that immunity. One of her biggest worries is how the vaccination sites are going to ensure that people who get the first shot will be able to get the second one as well. She also said that she has some concern about the safety of the drug since it is was manufactured so quickly. 

“I think when the vaccine rolls out it will be optional at first because it’s coming out in such a fast speed, but a needed speed,” said Gruenke. “Time will be very telling and very helpful.” 

“90 percent is a gamechanger,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in a CNN interview. “I think it is a likely scenario that we will need periodical vaccines.” 

There is still a lot that is unknown about the vaccine. Bourla told CNN that it’s still unclear how long the protection lasts for and whether it will be a seasonal or yearly shot. 

Although the Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) has not seen any serious safety concerns with the vaccine, they suggest that the study continues to collect data on safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. Pfizer and Biotech currently estimate that they will need two months for safety data. This is the amount of time suggested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. 

The pharmaceutical companies said they plan to get an FDA approved emergency use authorization after those two months of monitoring the volunteers. 

Operation Warp speed is going to play a large part in the rapid distribution of the vaccine, according to the CDC FAQ on Covid-19 vaccinations. This operation is a partnership with Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense. Their job is to help ensure the safety of the vaccine and to get it distributed as quickly as possible. 

The CDC said that among the groups of people who would be considered for early vaccination are healthcare personnel, workers in essential industries, people with underlying medical conditions and people 65 years or older. 

“They’ll give it to the most in need at first and protect the healthcare workers so we can take care of everybody else,” Gruenke said. “That’s how I would envision it.” 

When asked about the possibility that some healthcare workers won’t get a vaccine, due to the amount of uncertainty, Gruenke said that nurses will have to make an educated decision for themselves. She also said that their continued use of Personal Protective Equipment will help prevent the spread. 

“With today’s news, we are a significant step closer to delivering what we believe is likely to be one the biggest medical advancements in the past 100 years,” said Bourla on Twitter Monday morning. “I cannot think of a breakthrough that could change more lives than a Covid-19 vaccine.”