Pfizer’s experimental remedy is “very promising,” the WHO said.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday he hoped to have a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year and that Pfizer’s experimental cure was “very promising”, with d ‘others expected.
But the vaccine, based on new technology that uses synthetic mRNA to activate the immune system against the virus, presents special challenges because it must be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius (-94 F) or lower – equivalent to a Antarctic winter.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated the UN agency’s call for equitable distribution of vaccine doses once they become available.
Pfizer said on Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine was over 90% effective, as it revealed the first successful interim data from a large-scale clinical trial. Safety data on its vaccine with BioNTech SE could come later this month.
“As we predicted, we will have a vaccine at the end of this year. And Pfizer’s one shows great promise,” Tedros said at the WHO annual ministerial meeting.
“And we will also expect more and more,” he added.
However, the need to keep the vaccine in extremely cold warehouses could complicate any inoculation program, especially in parts of Asia or Africa where the climate is hot, vast distances and the necessary infrastructure may be lacking.
“The exciting news yesterday (Monday) of a possible effective vaccine becoming available portends significant cold chain challenges for African countries by the type of vaccine it is. What will need to be considered in support to be provided, ”Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, told the ministerial meeting.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
