Wednesday, December 2, was a landmark moment for the United Kingdom and the fight against coronavirus. The UK became the first western country to authorize a coronavirus vaccine. The vaccine, developed by German drugmaker, BioNTech, and American drugmaker, Pfizer, is reported to have an effectiveness rate of around 95%, with no safety concerns.
Britain plans on distributing the initial shipment of 800,000 doses to those in the “high risk” category, primarily nursing home residents, individuals over 80, and healthcare workers, as quickly as next week. The vaccine consists of two shots, with the second being three weeks from the first.
The vaccine has not been tested on children under 12 and there no information on how pregnant women could be affected. Additionally, experts do not know how long protection lasts or if it can prevent the spread by asymptomatic individuals.
Although this being the first vaccine being to be distributed with relatively few clinical trials to back it, many countries are not falling too far behind. The U.S, Canada, and European Union regulators are examining the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Other vaccines, such as ones made by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, are also in deliberation.
Russia will be putting forth a coronavirus vaccination campaign starting later this following week, which has had regulatory approval dated back to August. However, there has not been a great amount of study done on the safety and performance of the vaccine, despite 100,000 people already receiving it.
BioNTech optimistically hopes to provide at least 1.3 billion vaccines in the year 2021, and the company has already has inked a deal to produce 570 million doses. These numbers are contingent on the manufacturing and checking process.
When a vaccine gains approval and is available in the U.S., the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that healthcare workers and residents in nursing homes be the top priority for vaccination.
Though this news is a game-changer for the pandemic, as cases begin to rise again, it does not negate the need to follow CDC guidelines.
