German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke about one thing that will end the emerging corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic, so what did she say?

And why did a German official say that we are in a race?

What are the latest developments in vaccinations?

We start with Merkel, who said Friday that Germany and other rich countries may need to give some of their vaccine stocks to developing countries, in addition to money.

Because vaccinating the entire world alone will end the Coronavirus pandemic.

Merkel - who spoke after a videoconference with leaders of the Group of Seven major countries - said that they did not discuss the specific percentages of vaccine stocks that should be given to poor countries.

But she added to reporters, "I stressed in my intervention that the epidemic will not end until all people in the world are vaccinated."

We're in a race

The head of the German Robert Koch Institute for Disease Control, Lotter Feller, said that the current situation of the Corona pandemic is witnessing a race between vaccinations and the emergence of new virus mutations.

In statements to West German Radio (WDR), Feller said on Thursday, "The faster we get vaccinations, the faster we will be able to contain the pandemic, of course."

Feller added that he expects that the Corona virus will not disappear, indicating that this is the reason for the need for immunity, and stressed the need to accept vaccination offers.

"If someone offered me this Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine today, I would naturally take it," Feller added.

Feller pointed out that the AstraZeneca vaccine - which has been the subject of much discussion in the recent period - has a "wonderful protection rate", despite its somewhat less effectiveness compared to the Pfizer-BioNTech and moderna vaccines.

He said that more than 100 countries do not have vaccination yet.

Where did the vaccinations and their research arrive?

Russia approves the third vaccine

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that his country approved today, Saturday, a third vaccine to prevent Corona virus for local use.

And he added - in a speech on state television - that the first 120,000 doses of the vaccine - which was called "CoviVac" and is produced by the Chumakov Center in St. Petersburg - will be offered for local use in next March.

Pfizer-Biontech test on pregnant women

Pfizer and Biontech said Thursday that they have started an international study of 4,000 volunteers to assess the safety and effectiveness of their Covid-19 vaccine in healthy pregnant women.

Pregnant women are more likely to have severe symptoms of Covid-19, and many public health officials have recommended that some women working in high-risk occupations get vaccinated even without evidence that they are safe for them.

The US National Institutes of Health called last week for increased inclusion of pregnant and lactating women in Covid-19 vaccine research.

Bioethicists, vaccinologists and maternal health experts have said for years that pregnant women should be included early in vaccine trials so that they do not have to wait long after a successful vaccine is found.

Despite this, pregnant women were excluded from the large US trials used to obtain a license for the emergency use of Covid-19 vaccines.

Pharmaceutical companies say they first need to make sure vaccines are generally safe and effective.

What vaccines are currently available in the market?

Pfizer-Biontech

The mRNA vaccine, developed by the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the emerging German Biontech, has been approved in the European Union, the United States, Canada, Britain and many other countries.

Clinical trials have shown that the vaccine, which sends instructions to the body to help the immune system to identify and destroy Covid-19 particles, is more than 95% effective.

Moderna

Approval was given for another vaccine that also works with messenger DNA technology, with an efficacy of 94.1%, for use in the European Union, North America, Britain and many other countries, including Israel and Singapore.

AstraZeneca-Oxford

The vaccine based on the viral vector technology has been approved for use in the European Union, Britain and other countries such as India.

The vaccine showed 60% efficacy during clinical trials, but the relative lack of safety and efficacy data among older participants prompted many countries to recommend that the vaccine should not be given to people over 65.

Sputnik v

This Russian vaccine works in a similar way to the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, but has an effectiveness of 91.6% according to the results of experiments.

More than a dozen countries have permitted its use, including Belarus, Armenia, Iran, Algeria, Argentina, South Korea and Venezuela.

Its manufacturers have applied for approval to the European Medicines Agency.

Hungary is the only country in the European Union that has begun administering doses of this vaccine.

Sinopharm (sinopharm)

In China, two vaccines were developed using the traditional method of injecting the inactivated virus to stimulate the immune response.

Countries such as Hungary, Cambodia and Peru have started administering the vaccine, whose manufacturers say it is 79% effective.

Sinovac

The other Chinese vaccine uses a similar technology and is approved for use in China, Chile, Brazil, and Turkey.

Other countries, such as Ukraine and Uruguay, have made advance requests for it.

Its manufacturers say it is 50% effective against the Corona virus (and 80% against dangerous forms of the disease), but the results of the trials have not yet been announced.

Johnson & Johnson

On Wednesday, South Africa became the first country to use this American vaccine, and ultimately preferred it to AstraZeneca, which was its first choice, but it turned out to be insufficiently effective against the South African mutated version of the Corona virus.

The giant American pharmaceutical company has requested an emergency license for the vaccine it has developed, which gives a single dose, in the United States and the European Union.

Experiments have shown that it is 66% effective against the Coronavirus, and its effectiveness reaches 85% against dangerous forms of the disease.

Bharat Biotech

Developed with inactivated virus technology, this vaccine is currently used in India.

CanSino

The Chinese-made vaccine based on the virus vector was approved in Mexico last week, but has not yet started use.

What vaccines are awaiting approval?

Novavax (Novavax)

The European Medicines Agency - which has the final say in granting medical licenses in the European Union - is studying this American vaccine, which is based on proteins that trigger an immune response without using a virus.

Its manufacturers say it's 89.3% effective.

CureVac

Last week, the European Medicines Agency began the process of reviewing data for the German vaccine, which uses a technology similar to the moderna and Pfizer-Biontech vaccines.

What vaccines are under development?

The World Health Organization says that there are currently 69 anti-Coronavirus vaccines in the human trials stage.

An additional 180 vaccines are under development, but they have yet to be tested in humans.