The official of the World Health Organization, Bruce Aylward, said today, Monday, that a "Covid-19" vaccine may be introduced by March 2021 to the most vulnerable groups, which could radically change the course of the epidemic, according to Reuters.
Aylward told the organization’s annual general assembly that the results announced earlier today by the company, Pfizer, of the Phase III vaccine trials are "very positive."
The American pharmaceutical company, "Pfizer", said today, Monday, that its experimental vaccine to treat "Covid-19" disease is more than 90% effective, which represents a great victory in the battle against the epidemic that has killed more than a million people and destroyed the global economy and upset daily life patterns. Upside down.
Pfizer and its partner, the German biotechnology company BioNTech, are the first pharmaceutical companies to publish successful data on a large-scale clinical trial of a vaccine for the Coronavirus.
The two companies said that they had not yet found serious safety concerns, and expected to obtain this month a US permit to use the vaccine in emergency situations.
If they obtain the permit, the number of doses will be limited at first, and many questions remain unanswered, including the period during which the vaccine provides protection, yet the news provides hope that other "Covid-19" vaccines under development may prove effective as well.
"Today is a great day for science and humanity," said Albert Burla, CEO of Pfizer, "We have reached this crucial achievement in our vaccine development program at a time that the world desperately needs, with infection rates setting new records, hospitals close to fullness, and the fight against economies to reopen."
Continue to fight
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called on Monday to continue fighting the "Covid-19" epidemic, warning that the world may be tired of facing this pandemic but "she is not tired of it."
He said during the organization's annual general assembly in Geneva - which resumed Monday after it was stopped last May - that it is vital for people to adopt the advice provided by science and not to deviate from the virus.
"We may be tired of Covid-19, but he is not tired of us," he stressed.
Tedros, who was quarantined because of his contact with a person who had tested positive for "Covid-19", warned that the virus was exploiting the vulnerability.
"People who are in poor health are taking advantage of not only this, but inequality, division and ignorance," he said.
"We cannot negotiate with him or close our eyes, hoping that he will disappear. He does not care about political rhetoric or conspiracy theories," he added. "Our only hope is science, solutions and solidarity."