Pfizer vaccine could be key to conquering COVID-19 – but don’t throw off your mask yet [Video]



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Pfizer’s announcement that its coronavirus vaccine candidate is over 90% effective has created great excitement and hope for a return to normal. But questions remain about its security data and distribution plan.

Video transcript

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DARA KASS: Recently, Pfizer issued a press release stating that its vaccine against this coronavirus was 90% effective in preventing infections in participants in vaccine trials. We are very happy with this information. It’s very, very promising. But we have to wait for more information to come. There are a lot of questions to answer and a lot of problems to solve, but we are on the way to solving them.

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We do not yet have information on what type of trial participants were vaccinated and were infected, or vaccinated and were not infected. We still don’t know how they react to the vaccine, the side effects, the other complications, the comorbidities. And we know that elderly patients and vulnerable patients are at higher risk, not only of infection, but of complications.

So we need to know more about the patients protected by vaccination. Was it the same for all demographics? There will also be a lot of questions about the distribution and handling of a vaccine like this after its approval by the FDA. This vaccine, in its test form, has two doses. This means that vaccine production should be doubled to ensure that all people who need it receive both doses.

We don’t know when this vaccine, or any vaccine, will be widely available. Or more importantly, if enough people are going to take it once we have it. These are questions and issues that need to be resolved once the vaccine is proven to be safe and effective.

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So the most important thing to remember is that this information is not actually changing our daily lives right now. The most important thing to do is to continue to wash your hands, keep your distance, and most importantly, wear a mask. We are excited about the possibility of a vaccine, but we need to stay focused now on stopping the spread of this virus in our communities.

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