Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20210429

A29
world news Diahuebs 29 aPRiL 2021

BioNTech boss: Europe will reach herd immunity this summer

BERLIN (AP) — Europe BioNTech expects to receive
can achieve herd immu- approval in July for its vac-
nity against the corona- cine to be used in China,
virus within three to four where it cooperates with lo-
months, the head of Ger- cal firm Fosun Pharma, he
man pharmaceutical com- said.
pany BioNTech, which
developed the first widely Meanwhile, BioNTech and
approved COVID-19 vac- Pfizer are working with other
cine with U.S. partner manufacturers to ramp up
Pfizer, said Wednesday. production of the mRNA
shot as worldwide demand
While the exact threshold still far outstrips supply.
required to reach that criti-
cal level of immunization His company is in talks to
remains a matter of debate, create production facilities in
experts say a level above 70% Asia, South America and Af-
would significantly disrupt rica, and may also issue spe-
transmission of the coronavi- cial licenses to other "really
rus within a population. competent" manufacturers
to boost global supply of the
"Europe will reach herd im- vaccine, Sahin said.
munity in July, latest by Au-
gust," Ugur Sahin, BioN- "We don't want to have a low-
Tech's chief executive, told quality vaccine in Africa," he
reporters. added, dismissing sugges-
tions that the recipe for it
He cautioned that this herd could simply be made freely
immunity initially wouldn't available.
include children, as the vac-
cine has so far only been ap- immune response was weak- tion of antibodies, it prompts Countering fierce criticism
proved for people over 16. Vaccine recipients currently er, it remained sufficient, he the body's so-called T-cells to that the European Union
A small number of children receive a second dose three said, without providing exact attack the virus, he said. had bungled its vaccine pro-
who fall ill with COVID-19 weeks after their first shot, figures. curement process, Sahin said
suffer serious illness or long- although some countries "The vaccine is quite cleverly the 27-nation bloc deserved
term effects. have longer intervals. Sahin Asked about the new variant constructed, and the bulwark praise for managing to coor-
suggested the third should first detected in India, Sahin will hold. I'm convinced of dinate the simultaneous de-
BioNTech's vaccine makes up be administered nine to 12 said the vaccine's effective- that," Sahin said. "If the bul- livery of the first batches to
a large share of the doses ad- months after the first shot. ness against it was still being wark needs to be strength- all member states at the end
ministered in North Amer- investigated. ened again, we'll do so. I'm of December.
ica, where it is more com- "And then I expect it will not worried."
monly known as the Pfizer probably be necessary to get "But the Indian variant has "Europeans can be proud that
shot, and Europe, which has another booster every year or mutations that we have pre- The company is investigat- they found a fair solution,"
been seen vaccination rates perhaps every 18 months," he viously investigated and ing reports of heart inflam- he said, adding that the bloc
rise after a slugging start. said. against which our vaccine mation cases in people who also exported large numbers
also works, so I am confident received the vaccine in Israel, of doses elsewhere.
Sahin said data from people Concerns have been raised there, too," he said. but so far hasn't seen any data
who have received the vac- that existing vaccines might that would indicate a height-
cine show that the immune be less effective against new The Mainz-based company's ened risk, Sahin said. Some Sahin said he expects a "new
response gets weaker over variants of the virus now work developing a vaccine 5 million people in Israel normal" soon, where "one
time, and a third shot will emerging in different parts of based on messenger RNA, have been vaccinated, pri- can move about freely and
likely be required. the world. or mRNA, benefited from marily with the BioNTech/ most people have a very good
its earlier research into phar- Pfizer shot, giving it one of immune protection" against
Studies show the efficacy of Sahin said BioNTech has maceuticals to treat cancer, as the highest coverages in the the virus.
the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine tested its vaccine against tumors often try to adapt to world.
declines from 95% to about more than 30 variants, in- evade the immune system, Even so, some people would
91% after six months, he said. cluding the now-dominant Sahin said. "We take everything we hear either not want to get vac-
one first detected in Britain, very seriously," Sahin said. cinated or have a weak im-
"Accordingly, we need a third and found the shot triggers "The way our vaccine works "The most important prin- mune system "and we have
shot to get the vaccine pro- a good immune response is that it has two points of ciple in drug development is to consider these people too,"
tection back up to almost against almost all of them in attack," he explained. Along to do no harm." he said.
100% again" Sahin said. the lab. In cases where the with stimulating the produc-

S Korea to send medical items to help India

SEOUL, South Korea — ment will also allow irregular said Tuesday that the amount
South Korea says it will flights to bring back South of material it was considering
provide India with oxygen Korean nationals from In- sending to India would be
concentrators, COVID-19 dia. He says those returning "considerable."
diagnostic kits and oth- will undergo virus tests three
er aid items to help the times and be placed under a Earlier Wednesday, South
South Asian nation with quarantine. Korea reported 775 new vi-
the world's worst surge in rus cases, taking the country's
coronavirus infections. Yoon didn't elaborate on the total to 120,673, with 1,821
amount of aid items South deaths.
Health official Yoon Taeho Korea will send to India. The
said Wednesday the govern- country's Foreign Ministry