We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
LAST UPDATE | 9 Nov 2020
A VACCINE JOINTLY developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 infections in ongoing Phase 3 trials, the companies has announced today, exceeding the expectations of experts.
The statement was released as soaring coronavirus cases across the world have forced many millions of people back into lockdown, causing further damage to ravaged economies.
European stock markets and oil prices jumped on the announcement.
And US President Donald Trump, who lost last week’s election in part over his administration’s response to the pandemic, hailed the announcement as “such great news”. President-elect Joe Biden, meanwhile, said the news gives “hope” but a long battle lies ahead.
According to preliminary findings, protection in patients was achieved seven days after the second of two doses, and 28 days after the first.
The companies said they expect to supply up to 50 million vaccine doses globally in 2020, and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.
“The first set of results from our Phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial provides the initial evidence of our vaccine’s ability to prevent Covid-19,” Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.
“We are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis,” he said.
“We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most.”
Seeking emergency use authorisation
Across much of the globe, Covid-19 infections rates are hitting record highs, with hospital intensive care units filling up and death tolls mounting.
US biotech firm Moderna, several state-run Chinese labs, and a European project led by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca are also thought to be closing in on potentially viable vaccines.
Two Russian Covid-19 vaccines have been registered for use even before clinical trials were completed, but have not been widely accepted outside of Russia.
The Phase 3 clinical trial — the final stage — of the new vaccine, BNT162b2, began in late July and has enrolled 43,538 participants to date, 90% of whom have received a second dose of the vaccine candidate as of 8 November.
Pfizer said it is gathering two months of safety data following the final dose — a requirement of the US Food and Drug Administration — to qualify for Emergency Use Authorization, which it expects by the third week in November.
“We look forward to sharing additional efficacy and safety data generated from thousands of participants in the coming weeks,” Bourla said.
‘Watershed moment’
While the Pfizer-BioNTech trial has yet to be peer-reviewed by experts, scientists reacted positively – if cautiously to the results.
Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton, called it an “excellent result for a first generation vaccine”.
Peter Horby, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Global Health in the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, said Pfizer’s announcement “feels to me like a watershed moment” in the pandemic.
But others pointed out that there would likely be significant logistical problems in getting the vaccine to everyone, especially given it must be kept super-cooled and currently requires two doses to bestow immunity.
Eleanor Riley, professor of Immunology and Infectious Disease at the University of Edinburgh, said for example that the results did not disclose the ages of participants.
“If a vaccine is to reduce severe disease and death, and thus enable the population at large to return to their normal day-to-day lives, it will need to be effective in older and elderly members of our society,” she said.
Dozens more candidates
The so-called messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccine is a new approach to protecting against viral infection.
Unlike traditional vaccines, which work by training the body to recognise and kill proteins produced by pathogens, mRNA tricks the patient’s immune system to produce viral proteins itself.
The proteins are harmless, but sufficient to provoke a robust immune response.
The study also will evaluate the potential for the vaccine candidate to provide protection against Covid-19 in those who have had prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2, as well as vaccine prevention against severe Covid-19 disease.
Pfizer and BioNTech plan to submit data from the full Phase 3 trial for scientific peer-review publication.
As of mid-October, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 42 “candidate vaccines” at the stage of clinical trials, up from 11 in mid-June.
Ten of them were at the most advanced phase 3 stage, in which a vaccine’s effectiveness is tested on a large scale, generally tens of thousands of people across several continents.
Biden-Harris Presidential Transition / Twitter
Biden-Harris Presidential Transition / Twitter / Twitter
No normality yet
The World Health Organisation’s special envoy on Covid-19, David Nabarro, said “any promising news about a vaccine is great news”, but cautioned that there is still some way to go.
He told the BBC: “Everybody who’s hearing and watching this will be saying ‘wow, does this mean that life can go back to normal in the near future?’
“Life will go back to a new normal, and we’re not there yet.
“We do need to be following through on all the basic rules that we now know are important for dealing with this virus – our own behaviour, the way in which governments run their health systems, and also unity between nations.
“And I just want to stress that these principles that we’ve been working for over the last 10 months are still absolutely essential.
“Even if a vaccine arrives in the near future we’ve got many months of still dealing with the virus as a constant threat that we’ve got to make certain that we continue to do all that is necessary to solve the virus causing major problems.
“The vaccine will help, but it’s not going to be a complete game changer.”
US President-elect Joe Biden was equally as cautious and warned that the end of the battle against Covid-19 is still months away.
“This news follows a previously announced timeline by industry officials that forecast vaccine approval by late November. Even if that is achieved, and some Americans are vaccinated later this year, it will be many more months before there is widespread vaccination in this country,” Biden said in a statement.
Experts have said the full effect of a vaccine on transmission in the population will not be known until one is in circulation and more data is collected.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Good news put my name down
@Colin Keogh: same here
@Colin Keogh: Colin Keogh, name is down.
@Colin Keogh: So if we vaccinated all of Ireland only 490,000 people would get covid, over which 5000 will died. Ok..
@Pro-Life Eire: no, the disease would be eradicated through herd immunity. Use your head!
@Pro-Life Eire: That is not how it works. Vaccines overarching goal is herd immunity, herd immunity doesn’t exist without vaccines right, so when enough people are protected typically 70-80% via vaccine, the disease burns out.
You’re also not factoring in the IFR so no 5,000 won’t die even if your scenario was true, in fact covid would burn out quickly.
@Pro-Life Eire: The point of herd immunity is to protect enough people that the remainder are then protected by the choices of the majority to get the vaccine.
@Pro-Life Eire: Okay. I’ll bite. Most routine vaccines are between 85 and 95% effective. 90 plus is excellent. If 90% of the population are immune, the likelihood of the other 10% even contracting the disease drops significantly. The very rough estimate of covid mortality is 3-4% of those who contract it.
@Joe: the experts say otherwise and you don’t appear to be a expert
@Colin Keogh: I think Joe mean vaccine herd immunity
@Colin Keogh: because people have taken the vaccine herd immunity would be developed. If 90% are protected and everyone in Ireland took it then the disease would die out the remaining 10% wouldn’t get the disease.
@Chancer freelancer journal: haha
@Joe: Sizeable numbers of anti-vax loons also have to be considered. Probably means this virus will be around at low levels for years to come.
@Pro-Life Eire: Using your logic, without the vaccine 4,900,000 would get covid and 50,000 will die.
@aaron #RepealTheSeal: tgat makes more sense, as u said can’t have herd immunity without this, it’s g8 news
@Pro-Life Eire: a couple of issues with your numbers, if 90% are immune, how does it definitely spread to all of the other 10%? Also, we have 1947 deaths now. What makes you think there’d be way more with a vaccine?
@Dave O’Keeffe: let’s see, pro-life, anti-demicracy, believes the US election was rigged. Troubling to say the least. I won’t be engaging further.
@Pro-Life Eire: very pro life to take umbrage with something that could potentially save millions of them.
@Pro-Life Eire: Not true. With 90% immune the virus would not transmit to the other 10%. Thats how this would work if everyone took it. Very very few would get infected.
@Colin Keogh: fair play, first in the que, think I will let you brave souls take the first injections and see how you are all doing in 12 months
@Pro-Life Eire: do you pro birth people ever get much right?
@Noel McGivern: well aren’t you fierce clever? Why wait 12 months? What will change in those 12 months to make you personally believe doctors?
@Paul Furey: silly comment. If you resort to labelling and name calling then you have lost any debate.
And isn’t it great that this news comes out on 9/11
@Nosmo King: Either you don’t understand that in America it’s actually 11/9 or you’re just joking
@Dave O’Keeffe: Jagshemash. Niiiiiice !
@Tommy Roche: lots of them around, I work with at least two
@Dave O’Keeffe: not sure I get your question? I believe the doctors/scientists who develop the vaccine are absolutely doing their best to create something safe and effective. My non expert, uneducated assumption is that before a vaccine is approved extensive human testing is carried out. However I also assume that when/if billions of people start to take it, some (hopefully not many) will have unforeseen complications, my theory is I would prefer not to be first in the que and that after 12 months one would have some indication of the safety and potential side effects. So for me it is not about believing the doctors, it is about seeing how people get on with it; if that makes sense.
Best news we’ll hear this week. That’s saying something given the trump got fired.
@Fionn Darland: And speaking of Trump what’s the betting that if the vaccine is a success and the world returns to normal next year he’ll claim that it was all down to him as it was done on his watch??
@Fionn Darland: I get the flu vaccine every year due to a rare and serious illness, I’ve never had the flu. I’ll have no issue getting this vaccine.
To put this in context, the flu vaccine is slightly less than 50% effective, so a vaccine that’s 90% effective is astonishing. Those scientists who created it really do deserve medals.
@Stanley Marsh: think that’s one of the reasons they waited until after the election to release this news
@Arch Angel: every year I take out shark attack insurance.
@Arch Angel: scientists who are paid by illuninati so they can use it to control us and to keep us in a constant state of sleep. That is not a conspiracy theory its a fact
@John Purcell: Know many scientists do you John? Or would you say you generally hang around with lads that may not have been the brightest sparks at school … but look at them now, uncovering all the secrets of the world.
And you’ll still have people who won’t get the vaccine because “I’m young, fit and healthy and go to the gym, why should I need it??” only thinking about themselves and not giving a fudge about the vulnerable and elderly or the state the country is in because of it.
@Pro-Life Eire: You do realise that no vaccine is 100% guaranteed to prevent the disease it’s supposed to fight? People who get a flu shot can still get the flu. The point of a vaccine is to considerably lower the chances of getting a disease, every human is different so all angles will never be covered. 38,700 people out of 43,000 is a much larger number than zero.
@Hugo Bugo: then you are just bad at math and don’t understand how vaccines work.
@Football in the Groin: Of course, but would you give your child a rushed vaccine which does not have long term side effects? not anti vaccine BTW, we just need to avoid pandemrix scandal #2. There didn’t see the side effects during testing, it was only after mass usage that they found it was faulty. We need to be careful. Vaccinate elderly and those with underlying illnesses. Don ‘t give it to kids we are already 99.999% immune to covid19 anyway.
@Pro-Life Eire: I’ll agree with you on this, we can’t rush science, it’s not anti-vax to be cautious, everyone should take caution with it.
@Pro-Life Eire: your credibility in this area is somewhat dented by your retweeting of Donald Trump, and some of the C19 ‘cures’ he supported as well.
@Pseud O’Nym: Did you see the tweet where he/she called a priest named Horan “The Horan of Babylon” because he correctly pointed out Biden was in the lead based on the public vote ? Funny as….
@Pseud O’Nym: 163 Hydroxychloroquine studies 98 peer reviewed, early treatment works. What that has to do with vaccines I am not sure. To be clear NOT ANTI VACCINE!!. if you want it take it. Just remember the mistakes with pandemrix scandal. Let the elderly and those with underlying conditions have it. No need at all to vaccinate children or teenagers.
@Pro-Life Eire: 4,300 trial participants did NOT get infected. 97 participants have become infected, and they look at that against the infection rate in the general population and whether or not the infected patients received vaccine or placebo to determine efficacy. Trial and safety analysis still ongoing.
@Pro-Life Eire: kids are NOT IMMUNE to covid-19.
@Jayne: What’s worse is over 100 people gave that comment a thumbs up despite the fact it was totally untrue.
@Pro-Life Eire: it’s a bit worrying that your concern about rushing a vaccine doesn’t extend to not giving it to people. Instead you want it rushed and given to the elderly and those with underlying conditions. You do realise that the underlying conditions that increase risk of severe covid in many cases are in no way life limiting right? Also, when will you deem it OK for 90% of the rest of us to be safe? 10? 20 years?
@Pro-Life Eire: and what about the 43000 that didn’t take it?
@WiseUp: I can see you would be the first to jump from the bridge.
@Gere: There is no bridge Gere……!!
@Gere: look at this things tweets.
@Pro-Life Eire: Hydroxychloroquine has been proven again and again to be ineffective at treating or preventing Covid. You’ve obviously not read the studies you’re talking about because the overwhelming majority of them came up with negative results.
@Fergus Lynch: Have you something to say Fergus ?? More than happy to have a proper exchange!
@Football in the Groin: m getting the vaccine twice i want to be 180% sure to be sure
@Football in the Groin: get back in line :)
@Pro-Life Eire: thats not how it works, 10% didn’t get sick they didn’t have an imune response from the vaccine which means they could get sick even after having the vacine. Most vacines are not 100% effective.
@Pro-Life Eire: Pandemrix led to narcolepsy in only 1 in 55,000 recipients.
@▪️: yeah but Trump said it so Pro-Trump Éire is all in
@Gere:
” People get the flu vaccine every year & they still get the flu ”
Which flu? “The flu” isn’t one specific virus you d!psh!t, and chances are you just had the sniffles and called it the flu because you’re so cIueIess.
@Pro-Life Eire: Pro life, except where vaccines are concerned. Ticking a few boxes there.
@Football in the Groin: I still dont care about your health. Just in the same way you didn’t care about people who suffer from influenza for the last few hundred years.
Get over yourself and take some responsibility for your own health. Your health is in your hands. Pain in my hole with people projecting their own crap onto others.
@Vladimir Macro: the irony of the last sentence. I’m no doctor but if you removed your head the pain might ease
@Dave O’Keeffe: good one
The same people whinging and protesting about lockdowns and masks etc are the same people bitching about the vaccines now. We need one or the other.
@Pro-Life Eire: I’m sure they won’t release it until it’s fully tested and safe. No vaccine is 100% safe and these are unusual times, we can’t wait 4 years obviously. There’s more money and more companies working on a vaccine than ever before on world history, so we can expect one much sooner than the norm. If you’re happy to wait 4 years, don’t complain about restrictions. That’s my point.
@Pro-Life Eire: it takes on average 4 years. That is because there is a lack of funding, a small target group and less will to get the vaccine through.
These vaccines have been on no way accelerated or been rushed. Can you show a trying that shows shortcuts have been taken?
@Joe: No its not about funding, its biology. At the end of the day you need to make your own informed decision. All i’m saying it remember pandemrix scandal. Not anti vaccine, just do your homework.
@John Sheahan: it’s almost as if pension funds and property tycoons have a vested interest in the elderly being culled.
@Pro-Life Eire: same as that. I’m not anti vaccine either & I agree with your view. Its important to wait & see. The Cutter incident also another one worth mentioning although that was a specific mistake.
@Pro-Life Eire: On this thread alone you have totally contradicted yourself nor mind on the other threads I have seen you on today. How about you make up your mind for you and stop scaremongering and dictating to everyone else. Just a thought. BTW the old and vulnerable are the very ones that prob should not get the vaccine but should be protected by the benefit of everyone else getting it. If the rest of the population do not get the vaccine….it simply wont work but from your comments I see you are a vaccine guru of some sort so I assume that you know this. Wouldnt it be better if we put our collective efforts into ensuring that the vaccine is actually as safe as possible (as we know nothing is ever 100% safe) so we can get on with life rather than trying to put any potential vaccine into disrepute before its even approved??
@Pro-Life Eire: do your homework. Covid19 is closely related to the first Sars virus and they have been working on a vaccine for it for approximately 10 y. Much of the work done from that has been transferred to covid-19, so they weren’t starting from scratch. Because of funding these vaccines will be some of the most trialed and highly monitored vacancies to ever hit the market. By the way the Ebola vaccine was developed quicker and has potentially saved 10s of thousands of lives so far.
@Pro-Life Eire: its the red tape that takes four years to test a vaccine. A vaccine can easily be tested within 6 months with the amount of people with more knowledge than us.
@Pro-Life Eire: so where is your proof that it was rushed?
It wasn’t rushed. Bo vaccine is tested for long term safety at the outset, patients are monitored after approval.
This virus lent itself to quick testing as somebody else mentioned a lot of work has been done on SARS viruses, it is prevalent in wealthy counties and it is widespread meaning efficacy or non efficacy can be quickly established.
Yes there could be problems with it long term, but that has nothing to do with the speed that testing has happened. Go and read up on it.
@Pro-Life Eire: Did my homework. And this is what I found.
“GlaxoSmithKline’s Pandemrix vaccine was rushed into service to fight the H1N1 virus because of fears in 2009 of a global swine flu pandemic, *****so it never fully completed clinical trials****.” —https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30986638.html
You should be celebrating this great news. pro life, me rear
@John Sheahan: not me – I hate the lockdowns and masks. I think they (particularly lockdowns) are against out human rights and the constitution – but a vaccine, Ill be first in the line (after those who are vulnerable).
@Tony Humphreys: Im not a fan of lockdowns or wearing wearing masks either, but I’ll wear one. Unfortunately they are a way of life for the foreseeable future so we have to just deal with it.
@Pro-Life Eire: Jesus Christ, you keep banging on about pandemrix….. 1 in 55000 got narcolepsy. No vaccine will be 100% effective or 100% safe. Copy on.
Great stuff. I can’t wait to see the anti-lockdown brigade becoming the anti-vaccine brigade.
@Big Red: It’s possible to have contempt for the unquestioning acceptance of lockdowns and also be eager for a safe, working vaccine. A little bit of scepticism is a healthy thing.
I don’t get why people seem to reach for extreme views on everything nowadays. Can they just not be arsed to think for themselves?
@Big Red: I’m anti-lockdown, pro-mask, pro-social distancing, pro-restrictions and pro-vaccine. I hope that doesn’t cause your head to explode!
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: splat!
@Big Red: do I detect a little uncharitable bias there?
One’s chances of surviving COVID exceeds 99% if you are minimally healthy.
The benefit of lockdown is unproven. Living in Sweden without lockdown offers no additional harm.
The chances of children being sick with COVID versus influenza-even with vaccination is appreciable lower.
Are you going to vaccinate your kids under those circumstances? Almost zero benefits and an unknown harm potential.?
Is this vaccination going to be voluntary or compulsory?
It can’t be reduced to a cliche.
Keep it
@Mike Burry: Are ya afraid of needles Mike?
@Mike Burry:
@Mike Burry:
Although clearly naive, it’s kinda cute that humans think they are so advanced and can figure everything out through ‘science’. Maybe some day we will accept nature like our clearly more advanced animal brethren. Enjoy your vaccine, I’ll be keeping faith with my immune system.
@LD: so animals are more advanced than humans? I wouldn’t say we claim to be able to figure out everything with science, however vaccines have literally saved millons of lives, so we’d a bit idiotic to not research and use them, especially during a global pandemic. I’m sure If animals had our brains they’d solve a lot of their own problems with science too.
@LD: More advanced animal brethren? When was the last time you saw a giraffe conducting heart surgery, tell me.
@aaron #RepealTheSeal: we’ve put men on the moon and eradicated many diseases. “Faith” as you put it, is useless in comparison
@Mark: What are you talking about, I didn’t mention faith, I think the OP comment is silly.
@aaron #RepealTheSeal: I was meant to reply to the OP but clicked your comment by accident, thankfully, I am not one of the smart scientists in question
@Mark: hahaha no worries!
@LD: has to be a piss take surely?
@LD: I’m assuming since you’re anti-science that you live nakéd in the woods, foraging for food and wiping your hole with leaves? You may leave the phone behind as well so.
@Craig Clancy: no not a piss take Craig, just an alternative view of things than you.
@LD: vaccines work by you’re immune system you absolute tulip
@LD: Yes, our animal brethren are more than likely more advanced than you, no arguments here.
@LD: Alternative facts you mean?
@Pseud O’Nym: Currently I do not, predominantly because that is not the culture I was brought up in. I am currently working towards a space where I can live in nature away from overt modernity. And would be quite happy in the right environment to live a more naturalistic life being naked more often, washing in rivers and lakes and eating a mixture of foraged and unprocessed foods. As for the smartphone, I have become very addicted to it and am working on reducing that addiction, although these things take time so being patient with myself. I don’t believe some human creation cannot exist in harmony with nature, but the world see is one increasingly detaching from nature in pursuit of ‘progress’. I respect anybody who wants to engage with conventional healthcare I just choose not to.
@LD: so if you ever develop cancer or any other serious disease you’ll refuse treatment for those too?
@LD: Good for you, I assume should you become very unwell you will not be attending the hospital also??
@aaron #RepealTheSeal: No not claiming any facts Aaron, just a different perspective.
@LD: enjoy your off grid experiment, but if you’ve any sense you’ll be right into hospital the moment you get an infected wound or blood in the stool. Life expectancy has increased dramatically despite modern dietary habits and lack of activity creating more and more lifestyle disease, because millions of doctors and medical scientists are finding new ways for us to survive what nature throws at us. Also, maybe don’t eat the bats.
@Ger: I will not make a prejudgement of what I would do in such a case. My first port of call certainly would not be a hospital. I haven’t seen a conventional doctor for 12 years and much prefer to heal myself. But I am young and healthy so in later years If I was desperate and felt it was my only option then I am open to the possibility that I would.
@Hundredth Idiot: Thanks, to be honest just coming to the acceptance of this way of life has brought me to a fantastic harmony in myself. I’m looking forward to further experimenting as I leave more and more of my old lifestyle behind me. I don’t say these things to disparage anybody’s way of life I am just telling how I see my life from my vantage point. My overall feeling would be to promote a world in which we would have individual liberty and freedom and choose to work as a collective alongside that. I very happy to live in the exciting experience of nature and accept the challenges that brings. I might leave the fried bat off the menu though.
@LD: Yeah, that pesky science that managed to know where an asteroid moving at thousands of miles per hour over 200 million Kilometres away would be so they could land a probe on it, collect a sample and come back to earth. Yeah why would you believe science.
@LD: no wonder you’re posting anonymously. You forgot to mention smallpox and all other viruses and diseases that science has sorted out. Thanks be to jaysus most people are not like you.
@Larry Smierciak: I’m not denying that through science we were able to engage in such a mission. I wouldn’t personally see much use in it though, I’d sooner leave asteroids to their own devices and if that means one of them hitting earth so be it! To me the purpose of life is to live to my truest nature and enjoy the experience without worrying about how long the experience will be. When I die that will just be another part of the experience.
@Paul Furey: Don’t see what relevance my ‘identity’ would have to this debate and doubt it would make any difference to how you would view it. As for viruses and diseases, you can see my above comment regarding asteroids and death. I have no problem if people want to spend their time focussing on viruses, asteroids, or any other human challenge but I just don’t have an interest in focussing too heavily on these things. It’s a wonderful thing that most people are not like me, life would be a very boring experience indeed if we were all the same.
@LD: unfortunately a alternative view has been banned. You will be burnt at the stake for saying anything other than the narrative
@Victoria: Unfortunately the environment seems to promote a partisan discourse with a complete lack of acceptance that people can have a diversity of view points.
@LD: our immune system did so well against smallpox or tubercolosis, who needs vaccines!
@LD: It’s kinda cute that Smallpox was eradicated by science too. And polio is going the same way. Kinda cute alright.
@LD: More advanced than you maybe.
@John Sheahan: my pet dog is smarter and more loving than half the people I know. At least that is what I think today. Some days the ratio seems to change. I think it’s that my dog is getting smarter
This isn’t the only vaccine the others will follow, so by end of March we’ll probably have 3/4 .
The vaccine itself isn’t the real story here, its the science and the collaboration between all research that has gone on.
Each vaccine will be different in very nuanced ways, but they will ultimately be used in the battle with covid and hopefully all Covid strains.
There will be issues in supply initially but this is good news.
@PaulOMahoney Irish: trying to get the vaccines out to 7.8bn people…..better start investing in air freight and delivery companies.
@Paul Furey: Pfizer are already on the case apparently and are ready to roll out 40million doses of its candidate vaccine in the US by end of year. The biggest problem in distributing seems to be the need to store it at -94 F.
@Paul Furey: look at thermo King stock
@Paul Furey: getting the vaccine to everyone is a logistical nightmare. Becasue of the temp it needs to be stored at. The cold chain is a sub chain of transport services, the cold chain is not cold enough to transport the virus so another sub chain will have to handle it meaning it will take a long time to get It around, not to mention facilities will need to have equipment to store it, with not many having it.
@Dylan Husejnovic Forde: They have designed a cold box that has been tested at every extreme imaginable, and they work, on all modes of transport.
Invariably issues will occur but not to slow down the momentum.
You just knew this news would come out as soon as trump lost the election.
@Paul Gorry: it has nothing to do with Trump. This was predicted weeks ago, before the election and before any results started coming through. The world doesn’t revolve around Trump, much as you and Trump might want it to.
@Paul Gorry: US had nothing to do with this development.
@Wreck Tangle: Wouldn’t have stopped him claiming it as his success story during the campaign’s final days if it was released then.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: my comment was tongue and cheek and not in anyway political. You obviously missed that.
@Paul Gorry: what we really need need is a TDS vaccine.
Maybe we can get the government to test it on vulnerable state care children like they did for years before.
@Dick Durkin: I think that’s a horrible idea
@Ger: yeah me too….unfortunately governments and pharmaceutical conglomerates would disagree.
Open up the country,
Make it available as quickly as possible!
@Munster1: I read elsewhere that they expect to have 50 million doses by years end and 1.3 billion by end of 2022. Hopefully other vaccines will be in use over the next year also
@Ger: 1.3bn by end of 2021
@PaulOMahoney Irish: or, only 16% of the world’s population. At that rate it will take about 7 or 8 years to vaccinate and allow us to return to a normal life.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: that’s only one vaccine. There are about 8 different vaccines coming to the tail end of trials apparently.
@GrumpyAulFella: what’s their capacities for production, delivery and administration? I am aware of other vaccines at trial stage but not sure where they are at with them. Don’t get me wrong – 16% vaccinated is still a lot better than 0% vaccinated.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: 16% is actually great, considering that we’re also getting better at finding out who is at most risk.
@Ger: RTE news article:’EU enters final talks for BiNTech-Pfizer vaccine’ on 9th September’. re 300 M doses!!
@Giovanni Giusti: oh, of course it’s great. The sooner we get people vaccinated, the better. This announcent is like I can see a crack of light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel. But 16% vaccination is not enough to ease any of our current restrictions which means what we are currently experiencing in terms of social distancing and not being allowed to meet loved ones will have to continue into 2022 at the very least.
I for one will sign up for this vaccine and can imagine and would support that countries ban people from travelling without this vaccine but let’s not kid ourselves here.
Pfizer have the benefit that this is a global emergency and will be able to bypass tape that exists in normal times. This will hopefully improve things but it is the first step in a solution that will probably take years of development.
@Wreck Tangle: All producers have committed to it being as safe as possible.
The amount of work on this is mind boggling, not just the vaccine, but what viles to use, storage at -90f new technologies for transport and a supply chain that is huge.
@PaulOMahoney Irish: I’m sure it is but we should remember that Pfizer’s top priority is to make money. I’m not a pharma conspiracist and as I said I will sign up for this vaccine. Despite this, I am semi sceptical because there is no getting away from the fact: Whoever gets to the market quickest stands to make billions and it is in Pfizer’s own interest to get to market before everyone else..
@Wreck Tangle: Actually if you look at the pre orders Pfizer aren’t no. 1 , it matters little all potentials will be in the market over next few months
@PaulOMahoney Irish: Out of interest – What does a competitor’s preorder book matter when another company can actually fulfil orders?
@Wreck Tangle: Contracts dictate that and the fact that its unlikely that one producer will be able to meet demand. Actually no one producer will meet demand.
Some positive news for once, it really doesn’t help people mentally when the Likes of Professor Staines are going on Dublin radio shows making grim predictions if any sort of a level 5 lockdown is eased before January. Some of these so called professionals talk like crazies
@David Lee: the media need a bit more push back to those zero covid merchants – these ‘commentators’ like Staines have not been able to stand over their ‘zero covid’ strategy as the damages caused by such a prolonged lockdown would far outweigh the reality that a zero covid ireland HAS to reopen and unless its a zero covid world it would spread again – yet they constantly get an airing with their half arsed solutions – since we didn’t pursue their zero covid nonsense they are constantly on the doom and gloom train knowingly provoking peoples anxieties – there cant be a good xmas is their latest narrative – interesting that all these academics are unaffected financially by Covid lockdowns as we are happily paying for all those state funded roles – they would come up with very different strategies and solutions if they were forced to live on PUP payments for the duration. Great positive news about vaccine – now we need to see the strategy from government about HOW we live with Covid in Ireland getting livlihoods and jobs back along with freedoms to enjoy life – the nanny state are getting a bit comfortable with all their ‘rules and regulations’ and groupthink around Covid – they have done an average job managing the pandemic despite all the spinning – now lets make sure that the road to recovery really is all in this together this time – because the financial impacts on the people in this. country was very very divided and very very far from ‘all in this together’
@Use Your Head: what about the people who cannot get a vaccine due to a number of reasons e.g. cancer, compromised immune systems, heart disease, liver disease
Everyone needs to get vaccinated due to the people who cannot – it’s how herd immunity works
@Dave McAuliffe: No, we only need to vaccinate no more than 63% of the population to achieve herd immunity with a vaccine is 90% effective. This is because herd immunity is about 70%, but it might be lower. So people unable to take the vaccine don’t need to vaccinate. They are protected by the vaccinated people around them.
@David Jordan: Sorry, I meant yes.
@David Jordan: Hi there my names jilly I will happy be part of the 63%
@David Jordan: Actually David its funny ive come across yourself again. You had a back and forth with someone on another article and you quoted alot of science and facts backing the governments decisions to lock down. It was good to hear someone actually explaining the science behind nphets decision rather than just deploying it and expecting us all to follow.
You should genuinely look at writing a blog or maybe comparing your own analysis against the likes of Ivor cummins blogs, Id defo read. Have a good day
A little reading people so you can educate yourself on vaccines and general timescales.
Warning! You will have to concentrate longer than you did for the 5 seconds of reading the article headline in the journal.
https://www.criver.com/eureka/what-history-tells-us-about-vaccine-timetables
@Peter O Donoghue: Exactly. Irish public needs to seriously educate themselves on vaccines. Its not about being pro or anti vaccine. its about be pro-SAFE vaccines. We are paying out now because of the pandemrix vaccine scandal, not so safe was it. Over 80 teenagers left handicapped for life. Same in Sweden, vaccine withdrawn.
So look, please do your homework. Probably good to take it if you are in the at risk group, but it would be crazy to give to people under 20 we are not at risk from covid19
@Peter O Donoghue: In normal circumstances vaccines take a lot longer, but this data, mega data, was shared, that sped up things a lot.
@PaulOMahoney Irish: It speeds up development but doesn’t speed up the long term affects of a vaccine, some adverse side effects can take years to surface
@Adam J: it no vaccine is tested to check its long term effects. That’s not how drug trials work.
@Adam J: As with any vaccine, and today Pfizer said all safety targets were met, additionally those in the trial are going to be monitored for 2 years.
Over 500000 are in trials the largest in human history, and that is another safety tick
@Adam J: that’s what post market surveillance is for same for any drug when it’s released onto market
Lob it into me boss!!!
@Hugo Bugo: Hi Hugo, some of us are more at risk than others and have to be very careful and cocoon because a flu or pneumonia or covid-19 could be fatal and would be fatal for some. Yes, we live ordinary lives, some work and pay taxes but consider the statistics on covid-19 deaths with underlying conditions puts us in the death zone. Some gladly sigh with relief when they get their flu and have their pneumonia vaccine as it means that they can expect to live an ordinary life for another year.
Covid-19 has robbed those of us with underlying conditions of a relatively normal life in part by the people who refuse to wear masks and social distance and by those who refuse to comply with the recommendations to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Some of us have effectively been in level 5 lockdown since last March and welcome a vaccine as a means to help protect ourselves from this virus. If you are young and fit and have a 60 year life expectancy you will of course have a different perspective on a vaccine when compared so people like myself who may have spent last Christmas in hospital on oxygen having been taken by ambulance and spent time in resus on a bipap ventilator.
Now I am NOT a sheep and consider your comments condescending and selfish. If you choose not to take a vaccine that is your choice but I need a vaccine to protect my life from those who choose to take a chance and not get a vaccine and could end up being a potential carrier and spreader.
At least a vaccine which is 90% effective is better than depending upon masks and social distancing and people spoiling Halloween and maybe Christmas by keeping contacts to a minimum to help protect us vulnerable citizens. The more who get vaccinated the more we can open up.
Sadly people do not realise that without a vaccine we will remain with some restrictions and also with deaths for the foreseeable future.
No government has taken my rights away, I chose to work from home a week before it was recommended last March. The people who have taken away my normal life are those who refuse to comply with the measures designed to help stop the spread of the virus.
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: Excellent comment,Niall!
People need to understand that 90% immunity means almost nobody would get it because the virus would be decommissioned and it would be effectively out of transmission. The 90% who are immune would not pass it on so the chain of transmission gets broken. This news is absolutely super. 90% is massive and it will kill this virus.
@Imagine !: yes but only as long as 100% of the population is vaccinated. If only 20% of the population is vaccinated (the most vulnerable ones, say) then the herd immunity effect would not be triggered as the other 80% (or rather, 82% including those on which vaccination did not work) would still be transmitting the virus.
Can I get it before the 12 pubs of Christmas session.
@Barty: yes.
I would like to nominate in particular Tony Holohan, and all members of NPHET, plus of course the entire Irish government, to be the first recipients of the vaccine. They really do deserve it
It beggars belief that some people on here are actually moaning about the fact that this vaccine is 90% effective and not 100%. Seriously this virus has destroyed lives, businesses, economies not to mention the mental effects upon hundreds of millions of people, and yet there are saddos on here who would happily remain in lockdown until a 100% effective vaccine is found. It’s also quite sad that we now also have discovered a cohort of Puritans in this country who quite like the fact that we can’t have nights out anymore.
@The Firestarter: I think there are some that will be sad when all this is over, and they will have to make their own way in the world.
@Tony Humphreys:
Problem reaction solution.
So if we vaccinated all over Ireland only 490,000 people would get Covid
@Pro-Life Eire: If 90% were immune the virus would have no path for transmission and eventually die off
@Mickety Dee: Oh. ok. Like herd immunity right?
@Pro-Life Eire: wrong! The disease would be eradicated because it wouldn’t be able to spread. It’s called herd immunity!
@Pro-Life Eire: It’s the same logic as herd immunity if you’d like to simplify it as such but it shouldn’t be compared to herd immunity. Herd immunity would entail leaving the body to its own devices to immunise itself towards the virus, a theory that doesn’t seem to be standing from the research done into it, there is a question mark over herd immunity as a whole and whether or not it actually exists not just in relation to covid prevention. From usage of a vaccine, although only 90% effective it would leave the virus with a limited number of carriers to bring it from one person to another, the likelihood of all unvaccinated carriers being in one place is unlikely, letting the virus die from no host carrier. In theory, It is the idea of herd immunity backed up with man made science
@Pro-Life Eire: No, it depends on herd immunity and it is no higher than 70% and may be lower, so we only need to vaccinate enough of the population so that 70% are protected. When herd immunity is reached, via vaccination, there will be too few unvaccinated people to sustain unbroken chain of infection. The outbreak will end.
@Nathan Henry: the likelihood of lots of unvaccinated people being in the same place is unfortunately very high. GOD rallies.
@SC: lots? Hardly.
@Col de Gal: ha!
@SC: indeed! That’s why there are still outbreaks of measles in some areas of the USA with a high percentage of anti-vaxx parents. As soon as the rate of vaccination in a population goes under a certain percentage, outbreaks are possible. But a “population” does not mean a country, it could be a small area.
In most places, unvaccinated people ride on the coat-tails of all the other vaccinated people and thus never get the disease at all.
This is the start of the zombie apocalypse!! I’ve seen it on Netflix. I’m buying a pump action shot gun and It’s head shots all the way
Roll right up and get your vaccines. Form an overnight queue like some kind of messed-up black friday. The rest of us with an active brain cell on duty will avoid it like the plague, but thats no worries eh, because once you get your vaccine you’ll be completely immune, so no chance of us infecting you. That is how vaccines work, right?
@Martin Mason: I don’t think u get the concept of vaccines my friend !!
@Al.Dunne: Im not your friend. And what is the concept of vaccines? You get vaccinated to become immune to disease? Therefore an unvaccinated person cannot harm you? Correct?
So what’s the story with the other 10% ?? Do you start growing another few fingers ?
@Gavin Lynam: They got Covid19
I would like to nominate Tony Holohan to be the first receipient of the new vaccine, plus of course all members of NPHET, the Irish government, and the Gardai. They very much deserve it
@Martin Mason: you’re right. All frontline workers and people who have worked very hard since the start of the pandemic should be first along with vulnerable groups
@jackamy: Yes – but many in frontline work may already have a little immunity from contracting it as part of their work. Lets focus it on those that have nothing, and are vulnerable – and use it to get back to good-old-normal.
@jackamy: Yes, and you should be first in the line-up as well
Cha ching
I’ll take a box, cheers….
@Noel Holland: You’ll have to store it -90f
my motto, believe nothing what you hear and half of what you see.
Small sample size 90 patients…..but a light at the end of a dark tunnel
@Geraldine Kennedy Morris: Huh? The trial size was 43000, and is still taking in volunteers
So has it been tested on the Spanish strain which is the most prevalent strain in Ireland? What about the Danish mink strain that’s going to kill us all very soon?
Fake News anything to get their share price up on the stock market
@Noel Donohue: *rolls eyes*
@Noel Donohue: Morto for you and the rest of the anti-vaxx muppets posting here
Great. Pandermix: the sequel.
No issue with vaccines. I get the flu vaccine most years. But I wouldn’t be lining up to take this right away. Only ten years ago we had major issues with the swine flu vaccine that was rushed to market.
I haven’t read all comments but today I am hearing Boris telling the UK that he has secured 40 million doses for the countries . I am wondering whether we have done the same given that Pfizer have a facility here . I hope that such an obvious requirement has not been overlooked as that would be simply a hanging offence .
@Terry Cahill: The EU are distributing for its members based on whatever criteria they have ?
Great news and interesting timing on the announcement!!
Great news, some hope at last, sign me up as soon as its released.
Buy stocks in Pfizer now!!!!!
@Stephen Foster: Don’t its merging its Up Upjohn business with Mylan this week and the stock will fall a bit, then off you go.
Pfizer will be a leaner vaccine company them.
@Stephen Foster: too late you missed the boat
@PaulOMahoney Irish: cheers!
Its great news, but lets wait for clinical trials to finish first before we start calling it the answer to the virus
Not much good with more severe pandemics on the way
Came a tad bit late for owl Donald
@BatMon: Not really, the Pharma group of companies played him…..
Take a Number
I know they haven’t rolled out the vaccine yet but there’s some amount of doses around here
If we get 60% vaccinated its game over for the virus. We need to know how long the immunity lasts. If its last a year then its game over for Covid.
@Imagine !: Right now they believe a year with 2 doses but that might change.
@Imagine !: I think you will find if you get vaccinated its game over for you.
@Martin Mason: oh dear
@Martin Mason: bit early on a Monday for having a few drinks don’t you think?
@jackamy: I dont drink, and its obviously a bit early on a Monday for you to have any clue about what the vaccine is really containing and why its being pushed
@Martin Mason: you better get more of that tinfoil in before it’s all bought up for turkeys
@Imagine !: Covid-19 is a coronavirus. Coronaviruses mutate.
@jackamy: Is that really the best that you can come up with. Oooh, look, someone thinks differently from what they are being lied to about, he must wear a tin-foil hat. I despair of people like you. What exactly will it take for you to register in that one brain cell you have before you realise what is going on? A permanent lock down? Access to your own family denied. House arrest?
How much will it be?? How much tax will be declared through the massive biopharmaceutical plants in Ireland ( or lack there of)????
@Eddie Michael: $19.99 per dose, we only have one massive biopharma plant, in Clondalkin.
That won’t be producing this Purrs in Belgium is the European plant but labs in Dublin will assist
Cool, vaccines for some and lockdown for others
@Vanessa: dangerous comments like that get us no were if that’s the way u think keep it to yourself , choice not mandatory is a better place for everyone
@Emmett Whelan: I implied a choice. There won’t be a way out of lockdown without someone taking a vaccine.
We have a pandemic and the virus isn’t taking moods in consideration.
@Vanessa: If u want to take the vaccine work away thats a choice that u decided by yourself, but that does not mean a person who decides its not for them should have restrictions on there normal day to day life
@Emmett Whelan: Lockdown for all for good it is then…
@Vanessa: do you mean if a person chooses not to be vaccinated that person ought to have ongoing restrictions on their movement and on their association with others?
@Alan Gee: That’s what people who are opposing the vaccine causing for everyone else.
@Vanessa: so just to be clear… you propose if a person chooses not to be vaccinated that person ought to have ongoing restrictions on their movement and on their association with others?
Serious question. I’m horrific at maths. If its 90% effective this means only 90% of those who get it won’t contract covid? The infection rate is currently hovering around 10% of the population. What will change? I don’t get it. I suspect my undetstanding of this must be all arse about face.
@Daff. Myers: Right now we have human to human transmission, and mink to human in Denmark, there is nothing stopping the virus from spreading except the restrictions, if the virus tries to infect a person who has been vaccinated and is immune the virus dies as it has no host infect and then infect others.
So, eventually the 10% who might still get infected will not pass onto others as 90% should be immune and the infection chain 10% of 10% is 1% and the R0 number will drop to .1 where it has been 1.7 in some places.
Thats my effort anyway
have your say