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Pfizer CEO says there is 'encouraging' data on whether its vaccine stops Covid transmission

“We know that in animals, [there is] significant protection from transferring the virus,” Dr Albert Bourla told an the EPP Group health event.

THE CEO OF Pfizer has said that there is “encouraging” data on whether the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine stops transmission.

Dr Albert Bourla said at the EPP Group health event that “more concrete data” would be available by February.

Studies to date have shown that its vaccine is highly effective at preventing a person who gets SARS-CoV-2 from becoming seriously ill with Covid-19, but separate research needs to be carried out as to its effectiveness at preventing transmission itself.

“Right now we want to see to the vaccine, in addition to protecting people, is also preventing transferring the virus,” Dr Bourla said.

“This is not conclusive yet. We know that in animals, [there is] significant protection from transferring the virus…. We haven’t [proven that in] humans yet.”

When asked how long the vaccine would give immunity to Covid-19 for, Bourla said that  people who have been vaccinated for 6-7 months “are maintaining a very high level of protection”.

Dr Bourla also told the EPP Group event that it looks like there is a “very, very high efficacy” of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the two variants that appear to be able to transmit easier than other variants.

Studies have suggested that two variants – one found in the UK and another in South Africa – could be between 50-75% more transmissible.

Dr Bourla said that after a number of in vitro experiments, it appears that it will have a very high efficacy against these variants.

On the safety of the vaccine for children, he said that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been licenced for people aged 16 years old and above.

Pfizer are running clinical trials to examine the safety of the vaccine among children aged from 12-16, and Dr Bourla expects them to conclude in a few months, “maybe the first quarter”.

He said that any bottlenecks that there are currently in the production of the vaccine are a result of the vaccine not having been made before, coupled with the vaccines being needed in “extraordinary quantities”.

“We feel confident that we will dramatically increase the production of our vaccines.”

Right now, we expect this year to deliver 2 billion doses against the 1.3 billion [previously planned for this year]. And the efforts [to increase production] are not stopping.

When asked if the contract for vaccines with the European Union would be published, Dr Bourla said that they would look at publishing a version of the deal that keeps some information confidential “because I think it’s become quite sensitive” to make some of the information public.

Franz-Werner Haas, CEO of CureVac which is also developing a Covid-19 vaccine, said that the importance of a Europe-wide and global approach to battling the Covid-19 pandemic is that the virus doesn’t recognise borders, nationality, or the colour of skin.

The CureVac vaccine is in the third testing phase; if it cannot apply for authorisation by this Spring, it aims to produce the BioNTech vaccine.

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    Mute Craic-Hommy
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:28 PM

    Good news!! We need any good news we get these days!! It’s all very depressing

    302
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    Mute Critical Thinker
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:34 PM

    @Craic-Hommy: hopefully the government will get its finger out and vaccinate before the vaccines go off. I know for a fact that hospitals and nursing homes here are still trying to source fridges to store them. They have only just started looking for them and there is currently a shortage of pharmaceutical fridges in Europe as they were bought by other countries in advance of the vaccine rollout

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Jan 13th 2021, 4:35 PM

    @Critical Thinker: Do you have a source for any on that ? You do get that nursing home don’t need to have the type of refrigeration needed to store vaccines, yea ? They are nursing homes, not vaccine storage warehouses. Given some of your posts over the past few days, you saying “I know for a fact” doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence that what you are claiming is actually factual.

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jan 13th 2021, 4:49 PM

    @Tommy Roche: exactly once defrosted Pfizer’s vaccine is good at fridge temp for 5 days, Moderna’s for 30 days. Seems strange a nursing home wouldn’t already have pharmaceutical fridges, or at the very least a regular fridge designated for pharmaceuticals

    23
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    Mute Colm OS
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    Jan 13th 2021, 5:54 PM

    @NotMyIreland: it’s not standard cold storage, the Pfizer one needs to be store at – 70oC. A standard fridge runs between 1 and 5oC, a freezer is – 18oC.
    Based on reports, Pfizer have said they will provide equipment to store Vaccines at the right temp. Would assume that’s in Regional hubs rather than every nursing home and hospital. 5 days should be plenty of time to get from Regional hubs into ppls arms locally

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    Mute Ronan Fahy
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    Jan 13th 2021, 8:14 PM

    @NotMyIreland: seems strange to you. That means theres two possibilities. Every retirement home everywhere in the country is completely wrong. Or you dont know. It only seems strange because you dont know what you’re talking about but unfortunately people these days dont recognise a lack of their own knowledge and come out with statements like “seems strange that…”. Assume that people in a field, a field that you presumably are not in, know better.

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    Mute Margaret Doyle
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    Jan 18th 2021, 9:51 AM

    @Tommy Roche: I wouldn’t take anyone’s word either, unless they have a PHD in the said subject and we all know that no-one knows much about Covid as it’s a relatively new virus. It will take virologists at least 10 yrs to study rolling data and understand Covid.
    Also all data (Quantitive & Qualitative ) is bias anyway simply because individuals reporting symptoms or side effects process these in different ways.

    1
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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:18 PM

    Can anyone tell me when theh should start to see results in Israel as they are way ahead of everyone else? They have nearly a quarter of their population done. Tje way they’re going they’ll be done by early to mid february.

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    Mute Critical Thinker
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:29 PM

    @Vonvonic: in the past week, transmission has gone from 7600 to 3600. Deaths from 25 to 2. Though there’s no way of knowing if it’s the vaccination or any other measures. The UK doesn’t seem to be yielding results

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    Mute Jason Walsh
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    Jan 13th 2021, 4:09 PM

    @Vonvonic: that’s the first dose of the vacine, they looks to be in bother with the second dose and may not meet the timeline between doses for people

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    Mute TonyC - *Ventilation Is Key*
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    Jan 13th 2021, 4:15 PM

    @Vonvonic: Vaccines are beginning to work in Israel but the second dose is clearly needed.
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-data-shows-50-reduction-in-infections-14-days-after-first-vaccine-shot/

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    Mute Rory Mac Daibhéid
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    Jan 13th 2021, 7:26 PM

    @TonyC – *Ventilation Is Key*: you can’t say it beginning to work if they are in lockdown as that’s meant to be reducing spread.
    So you’d need data with no Lockdown.

    1
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    Mute JusticeForJoe
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:38 PM

    Great stuff! Here’s hoping for a speedy-as-possible rollout. Best of luck to everyone waiting particularly anxiously

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    Mute sean Coady
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:42 PM

    The anti everything’s won’t like that one bit

    67
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    Mute john doe
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    Jan 13th 2021, 6:33 PM

    @sean Coady: I am generally pro vaccine but we are told this went through rigorous testing yet they can’t even say if it prevents transmission of the virus.

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    Mute Amod Gokhale
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    Jan 13th 2021, 6:52 PM

    @john doe: normally the vaccines are tested for safety and efficacy first and not transmission. Whats the point of testing for transmission if lots of ppl have side effects (safety) or vaccine doesn’t work (efficacy). The transmission required the test to be carried out for a longer duration i.e. about 1 yr. Hence the normal vaccine to market timeline is 4-5 yrs not 6-10 months. Here we are seeing a very small timeline hence only safety and efficacy was targeted.
    Also its the main reason that none of the vaccines have full approval. Its only emergency use which means some data is still being generated.

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    Mute john doe
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    Jan 13th 2021, 7:48 PM

    @Amod Gokhale: ok thanks for the explanation

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    Mute Jason Walsh
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    Jan 13th 2021, 4:08 PM

    Hopefully will help speed up the full removal of restrictions in 2021, we really can’t go into 2022 with restrictions still in place.

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    Mute Ger
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    Jan 14th 2021, 5:16 AM

    @Jason Walsh: all along I’ve been very factual on this whole thing. Avoiding the hyperbole you always get on these boards. Dealing with what we know. But personally I think going by what we know, the vaccines we have available and what is coming down the line. And the new tests in trials that may give accurate results in less than 30 mins. I’d be confident that we’ll be done with any major restrictions by the end of the year. Some counties might require vaccine certs to enter, and perhaps some countries that still have significant levels of infection might limit large gatherings but I’d be surprised if there are any of the current restrictions that we have here still in place. The only way would be if the vaccines fail. In which case we’d be well and truly fooked. But I’m hopeful.

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    Mute Full Circle
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    Jan 13th 2021, 4:03 PM

    Good news but does anyone know more information about the allergies people are getting from it?

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    Mute Jason Ebbs
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    Jan 13th 2021, 4:04 PM

    @Full Circle: No.

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    Mute Critical Thinker
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:20 PM

    The people in the White House during the siege who got covid had all had the first round of vaccinations and were wearing masks. According to CNN, they reckon they caught it from their republican colleagues who had also had the first round of vaccines but we’re not wearing masks. The article didn’t clarify, though, if the republican colleagues had also tested positive. Anyway, if the CNN article is true, it shows us that one round only does not prevent transmission even when other measures are in place. Their symptoms were possibly mitigated.

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:36 PM

    @Critical Thinker: But when did they recieve the first dose. It takes up to 4 weeks to get the full immune response.

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    Mute Barry Somers
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:44 PM

    @Critical Thinker: not just a case of not wearing masks.

    The republicans flat out refused to wear masks!

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:44 PM

    @Critical Thinker: 1. Some of the Republican senator weren’t rearing masks in the cramped safe room during the Trump cult riot.

    “The lockdown room was a safe space for lawmakers under siege. Now some say maskless Republicans made it a coronavirus hot spot”
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/capitol-riot-coronavirus-lockdown-room-super-spreader/2021/01/12/db00d85c-54f8-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html

    2. It takes 4 weeks after the first Pfizer/BioTech vaccine dose to reach maximum immunity, that is 1 week after the 2nd dose (given 3 weeks later). Since the first doses were given on Monday Dec 14, just over 4 weeks ago, there are only a small number of people who have reached optimal immunity so far.

    14
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    Mute Rory Mac Daibhéid
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    Jan 13th 2021, 6:46 PM

    @David Jordan: what the optimal immunity figure yet is very unclear.
    Would be good to get data after the second dose and not data from Lockdown reduction as it’s not going show up as much.
    Assuming Protection and celebration for a vaccine that’s no real world efficiency seems like it should at least tell us sooner rather than later hopefully the data.
    Anyone with prior infection can’t be counted as vaccine immune either.

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    Mute NiamhStilwell
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    Jan 13th 2021, 7:27 PM

    So the vaccine doesn’t prevent Covid-19 but prevents the person who gets Covid from having symptoms and they are saying they’re not sure if it prevents transmission? Surely this is worse? Someone could have Covid, not know they have it cause they’ve been vaccinated and then spread it? Or am
    I picking this up all wrong!!?

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    Mute Eugene Norman
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    Jan 13th 2021, 10:18 PM

    @NiamhStilwell: where did you get that from the article? They said it clearly stopped transmission in animals. They expect the same in humans.

    8
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    Mute Rory Mac Daibhéid
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    Jan 13th 2021, 6:48 PM

    Data needed on everything still.

    Should remember there’s no real world efficiency data yet and the % protected is not known .
    Seems like many people might be over optimistic in what the vaccine can or can’t do but that’s what continued enforced Lockdowns do to society.

    Efficacy: The benefit that a vaccine provides compared to a placebo, as measured in a clinical trial. To test a coronavirus vaccine, for instance, researchers compare how many people in the vaccinated and placebo groups get Covid-19. Effectiveness, by contrast, is the benefit that a vaccine or a drug provides out in the real world. A vaccine’s effectiveness may turn out to be lower or higher than its efficacy

    8
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    Mute Eugene Norman
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    Jan 13th 2021, 10:17 PM

    @Rory Mac Daibhéid: I think guys like you want this to continue. The vaccine is fine. Relax.

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    Mute Rory Mac Daibhéid
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    Jan 13th 2021, 10:55 PM

    @Eugene Norman: no I would rather we stopped focusing on covid in the summer. Plus I’m relaxed.
    You seem to have created a narrative about me which is incorrect.
    The vaccine is fine , and that’s probably the efficiency we’ll get .
    It’s fine, similar to flu vaccine I’d am assuming but as this is new technology who knows it could be as high as the trail efficacy.

    I think it wrong message to deliver that this vaccine Protects you.
    It potentially might Protect the majority of people but the majority of people don’t get severe covid.
    So we are back to the same problem, Protecting the most vunerable.

    Which is not been done so far successfully.

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    Mute Critical Thinker
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    Jan 13th 2021, 3:56 PM

    @David Jordan: do you know if the republicans who were there also tested positive? I don’t have access to that wapo article and it didn’t specify on CNN. I would be interested to find out if symptoms were mitigated. Though I imagine it would be very hard to tell from a small number of people as the virus affects everyone very differently

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    Mute john doe
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    Jan 13th 2021, 6:35 PM

    What is the point of this vaccine if not to prevent transmission?

    I am pro vaccine and have had many, however my confidence in this one is affected by them not knowing what it does, especially after all the testing that we are told has been done!

    6
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    Mute Rory Mac Daibhéid
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    Jan 13th 2021, 6:53 PM

    @john doe: the point is purely to stop severe covid developing.
    The immune system recognises the virus and does it’s function and doesn’t go into overdrive.
    If it doesn’t stop transmission but stops illness it’s doesn’t matter much after all 97% of cases don’t need hospitalistions or ICU or worse so if 20% of the most vunerable are protected the rest of the population would not be experiencing much illness then.
    One of the problems with this and all Viruses is that it looks it will continue to mutate and might be around like a yearly flu type illness.
    Nobody can predict or know best , guesswork mainly.

    It’s important to remember everyone should optimise their Immune System if possible and that message doesn’t get much attention in the agenda been pushed.

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    Mute Eugene Norman
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    Jan 13th 2021, 10:19 PM

    @john doe: they are just being cautious. By the way even if it reduced severity only we could still open up most, or all, of society.

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    Mute Jonathan
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    Jan 13th 2021, 5:17 PM

    At what point do they put the chip in? Is it the lorry drivers that do it?

    6
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    Mute WreckDefier
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    Jan 13th 2021, 4:25 PM

    A long road ahead…think 2024

    5
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    Mute Eugene Norman
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    Jan 13th 2021, 10:18 PM

    @WreckDefier: a short road. Think 2021

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    Mute Kieran Hayes
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    Jan 13th 2021, 4:52 PM

    What else would he say??!!

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    Mute Margaret Doyle
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    Jan 13th 2021, 11:09 PM

    Well the vaccine is supposed to stop us catching it Right?
    So if you haven’t caught it, how can you pass it on?

    3
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