Filenews 27 February 2021
Pfizer and BioNTech have announced that they are in the process of testing for a third dose of their vaccine, which will cover all strains that have resulted from the mutations of the original, such as South African and British. Probably, at least in the first phase and if approved, it will be given in addition to those who have received the two existing doses. They also said they are in contact with the relevant regulatory authorities regarding the testing of a vaccine tailored specifically to treat South Africa's mutant strain, which appears to be the most contagious and dangerous.
"It is a reasonable possibility to arrive at regular supplementary doses. As for future vaccines, adjustments to their structure may be required every few years, but not necessarily on an annual basis," said Pfizer's chief scientist, Michael Dolsten. He added that the immune response of organisms may decrease over time. It is noted that Moderna also announced on Wednesday that it is working with US government scientists to manufacture an additional dose of its vaccine, which will also target the South African strain.
Tests for children
At the same time, Pfizer and BioNTech have announced that they will begin additional trials of their vaccines for children, which are not covered by the research to date. For ages 5-11 testing is expected to begin in the next few months, while for children under 5 by the end of the year.
Well, the truth is, the good news from the vaccine front is thickening. For this reason, the results of the first real-world Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine survey, conducted in Israel, on 1.2 million people are extremely encouraging. According to its findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, after the administration of both doses of this vaccine, symptomatic cases decreased by 94% in all age groups, while the rate of reduction in cases with severe symptoms is similar. Even with the administration of a single dose of the vaccine, the reduction in symptomatic cases reaches 57% two weeks later.
The day before yesterday, a decisive step was also taken to approve in the USA the first single-dose vaccine, Johnson & Johnson, as it was found to be 85% effective in protecting against severe forms of the disease and preventing almost 100% hospital and ICU admission.
Vaccines - ghosts
At the same time, it has become known that many EU Member States have reported that in the past period they have received offers from "alleged intermediaries" who appear ready to supply them in total with around 900 million doses of vaccines, compared with EUR 12.7 billion in 2004. Euro. These are, as two high-ranking EU officials noted on the sidelines of yesterday's teleconference, 'ghost vaccines', which are on the market in large quantities.
This case is already being dealt with by the anti-corruption agency OLAF, which has warned in good time of the efforts of various deft people to sell counterfeit and potentially dangerous preparations to the '27', taking advantage of delays in deliveries by the various companies with which agreements have been concluded.
Source: in.gr
