As coronavirus continues to claim lives all around the globe, the anticipation for a vaccine grows each day. Recent reports indicate that the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is highly effective. The CNN White House Correspondent, Kaitlin Collins tweeted, “Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla tells @drsanjaygupta, The vaccine will be available for free to all American citizens.” This means that the Pfizer vaccine will indeed be available to all Americans free of any charges.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla tells @drsanjaygupta, "The vaccine will be available for free to all American citizens."
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 9, 2020
The vaccine is 90% effective
The vaccine will be tested first in the United States to derive late-stage data regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine. Today, the companies stated that an early analysis obtained by results depicts that people who received two injections of the vaccine, each administered three weeks apart showed that 90% of symptoms were reduced. These results exceed expectations since researchers previously predicted the vaccine might only curb symptoms by 60-70%.
“I’ve been in vaccine development for 35 years. I’ve seen some really good things. This is extraordinary. This really bodes well for us being able to get a handle on the epidemic and get us out of this situation,” said William Gruber, the senior vice president for Pfizer’s vaccine clinical research and development. The company further stated that it is currently gathering required safety data which is likely to take up to the third week of November. After this period, the company will submit a dossier to regulators which will then be approved. If the licensing process is speedy, the doses might be given to health care workers by December.
“We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen,” said Dr. Albert Bourla, the Pfizer chairman and chief executive.
The vaccine will be given to all Americans free of cost
Several countries have already have placed orders for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The UK government has placed an order for around 30 m doses, which is likely to be enough for 15 million people since two doses are required. The European Union has placed an order for 200m doses which it plans to distribute. Pfizer and BioNTech have also entered into a contract worth $1.95 billion with the United States government. This contract has been secured for 100m vaccines. By virtue of this contract, the vaccine will be available to Americans free of cost.
The United States government has also previously voiced free access for COVID-19 vaccines for all citizens. The United States government also has an additional agreement that will allow it to obtain additional doses of 500 million. Other states have also taken actions to set up effective administration of the vaccine. In Germany, the government plans to establish vaccination centers. These centers will have ultra-low temperature freezers which will assist in the first phase of vaccinations.
