The Executive Director of BioNTech BNTX,
The German company said it did not yet know whether the vaccine it had developed with Pfizer would work against the new coronavirus strain.
Uğur Shahin said it would take two weeks to complete the laboratory work needed to demonstrate whether the shooting, which was developed in conjunction with US partner Pfizer PFE,
it is effective against the new strain.
“We do not know at this time whether our vaccine is also able to provide protection against this new variant,” Shahin said at a news conference on Tuesday to provide an update on the vaccine. From a scientific point of view, it is very likely that the immune response of this vaccine can cope with new variants of the virus.
Vaccine adjustments could be made within six weeks, although this may require regulatory approval, Shahin added.
More than 40 countries have banned arrivals in the UK amid growing concerns about the spread of the new strain of COVID-19, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson said is behind a rise in cases in London and south-east England. .
Read: Should you be concerned about the new COVID-19 strain? Here’s what you need to know
In an assessment of the threat of the new strain, published on December 20, the European Center for Disease Control said: “There is currently no indication of the severity of the increased infection associated with the new variant,” but a preliminary analysis in the UK suggests that this variant it is up to 70% more transmissible than existing variants.
Shahin mentioned that the new strain had nine mutations instead of one, as is more usual. However, he added that BioNTech had “scientific confidence” that the vaccine would be effective, as the proteins in the new British version were 99% the same as those on the predominant strains.
His comments came a day after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Commission approved the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, paving the way for mass inoculations to take place in the bloc’s 27 member states.
Deliveries are expected to begin on Saturday, with countries such as Germany, Austria and Italy saying they plan to start vaccinations on Sunday. The EU has ordered 200 million doses of vaccine, with the option to buy another 100 million.