Pfizer commits: in 100 days it could have a new vaccine to fight the omicron variant, if necessary. This has been explained by Sergio Rodríguez, president and CEO of Pfizer Spain, in the Investigation Commission on the management of vaccines of the Congress of Deputies.
“We continue working with the different strains that have emerged. So far, the vaccine has been shown to remain effective. We are now analyzing the new omicron strain. Is being analyzed if there is loss of effectiveness or not. Based on this, Pfizer’s commitment is to develop a new vaccine within 100 days, “said the president of Pfizer.
Rodríguez points out that the technology on which his vaccine is based, of messenger RNA (mRNA), “allows in a relatively short period to start developing and producing a vaccine that may be effective against this variant. “” If the current vaccine is not really effective against omicron, there will be a new one in a period of approximately 100 days, “he insisted.
On the performance of Pfizer in Spain during the pandemic, the leader has been “proud”: “The distribution of the vaccine in Spain has been excellent and fairly equitable. There have been no communities with greater or lesser access, it has been excellent.”
Moderna admits that its vaccine loses efficacy against omicron
For its part, and in relation to the efficacy of the serums, Moderna believes that current vaccines against COVID-19 will be “much less effective” against omicron. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel estimates that it will still take months for vaccines that are specific to this new variant to be manufactured in large quantities.
In statements to ‘Financial Times’, Bancel admitted that the fact that omicron presents a large number of mutations together with its rapid spread will require modifying current vaccines throughout 2022. “I think there is no world where the efficiency is at the same level that we had with the Delta variant. I think it is going to be a significant decrease. But I don’t know how much, because we have to wait for the data. But all the scientists I’ve talked to say, ‘This is not going to be good’“.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
