BERLIN – The first-generation Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine works against Covid-19 variants, including Delta, and does not need to be modified for the moment, said BioNTech chief executive Ugur Sahin yesterday.
“It is quite possible that in the next six to 12 months, further variants will emerge, and that will require adaptation of the vaccine, but it is not yet the case at the moment,” he told journalists.
A decision to make a switch should be made only if it is clear that the vaccine has failed to work or offering sub-par protection against the virus.
The fast-changing situation meant that getting the timing for the change right is also crucial.
“Making a decision at the moment might turn out to be wrong in three or six months if another variant is dominating. Therefore, the timing of the decision must be appropriate,” said Sahin.
“For now, we have a good understanding that the booster vaccine with the parental strain is completely sufficient.”
Pfizer has also repeatedly amplified the case for booster shots amid the latest wave of infections.
Countries, including France and Germany, said they will begin offering the additional shot to the elderly and most vulnerable from September.
Pfizer-BioNTech has shipped around one billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to more than 100 countries or territories around the world.
It is expecting its annual manufacturing capacity to reach three billion doses by end-year, before climbing to four billion doses next year. – AFP, August 10, 2021
