It's a great day for science!
Hey friend,
It’s a great day for science! Today we’ll get into Pfizer’s promising initial Phase III COVID results.
But first, 3 things to start your day:
Historic weekend: The streets turned into dance floors on Saturday as Joe Biden became president-elect of the United States. Vice President Kamala Harris made history by becoming the first female, first Black, and first South Asian vice president-elect of our country. Prez Biden’s wife will also make history as the first FLOTUS with a full time job. Many other House and Senate candidates made history in this election.
COVID-19 taskforce: President-elect Joe Biden announced the new the Covid-19 “transition advisory board” which includes a dozen high-profile doctors, such as Dr. Atul Gawande and Rick Bright. Time is of the essence with 103,657 new cases reported on Nov. 8.
In creepier news, Televangelist Kenneth Copeland channeled his inner Joker by laughing at the results of the presidential election as if they’re not legit, a trend we’ll continue to see with staunch Trump supporters.
Some good boy news:
“A light at the end of the tunnel”
Pfizer announced that early analysis shows its COVID-19 vaccine is “more than 90 percent effective” in patients to prevent the virus.
1.2 million people have died from COVID-19
The timing of this announcement couldn’t be better, as more than 1.2 million people have died from this pandemic. The drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech only released a few details from the trial clinical trial, but results are promising with the vaccine candidate found to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 for people impacted by it. Importantly, no serious safety concerns have been observed, the company said.
The drug behemoth plans to ask the FDA for emergency authorization of the two-dose vaccine in late November (once it has collected the recommended two months of safety data, coming out next week). By the end of 2020, Pfizer will have manufactured enough doses to immunize 15 to 20 million people, company executives have said.
What’s next?
The clinical trial only started in July, so as experts have warned we’ll have to see how long the vaccine lasts. Once it is approved, don’t anticipate getting a shot right away. Healthcare workers will have first access to the vaccine, then medically vulnerable groups, according to the NASEM draft plan.
Other than Pfizer, Moderna is considered the next closest vaccine frontrunner, saying it can provide safety and efficacy data in November. J&J Jand AstraZeneca will also share results by the end of this year. But with Pfizer’s promising announcement, the company—and the world—seem like the true winners in the future.