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Moderna says that immunity to the Covid-19 vaccine should remain for at least a year
Immunity against the Covid-19 vaccine from Moderna Inc. should last at least a year, the company said Monday at a JP Morgan Healthcare conference.
The drugmaker said it is confident that the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology it has used is appropriate to implement a vaccine based on the new variant of coronavirus that has emerged in a handful of countries.
The company’s vaccine, mRNA-1273, uses synthetic mRNA to mimic the surface of the coronavirus and teach the immune system to recognize and neutralize it.
Moderna said in December that it would carry out tests to confirm the activity of the vaccine against any strain.
The company said Monday that it expects to deliver between 600 million doses and 1 billion vaccines in 2021 and expect vaccine-related sales of $ 11.7 billion for that year, based on early purchase agreements signed with governments.
“The team is very comfortable with the experience we have now … that we are on track to deliver at least 600 million doses,” said CEO Stéphane Bancel.
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Despite vaccines, no immunity Covid herd in 2021: WHO
Despite the launch of vaccines against Covid-19 in several countries, the World Health Organization warned on Monday that the immunity of the herd will not be affected this year.
AFP: Countries around the world are looking forward to vaccines that will eventually return to normal in the coming months.
But WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan has warned that it will take time to produce and administer enough doses to stop the virus from spreading.
“We will not reach any level of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021,” she said in a virtual press briefing at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, stressing the need to continue measures such as physical distancing, hand washing and mask clothing to pandemic masters.
She hailed the “incredible progress” made by scientists who have unimaginably managed to develop not one, but several safe and effective vaccines against a new virus in less than a year.
But, she stressed, the launch “takes time”.
“It takes time to scale up doses, not just in the millions, but here we are talking in the billions,” she said, urging people to “be a little patient.”
Swaminathan stressed that, in the end, “vaccines will come. They will go to all countries. “
“In the meantime, we must not forget that there are measures that work,” she said.
Public and social health measures aimed at stopping transmission “should be continued” at least for the rest of this year “.
11:31 p.m.
summary
Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic with me, Helen Sullivan.
As the World Health Organization has warned that the herd’s global immunity will not be achieved in 20201, Moderna Inc said immunity from those receiving the company’s Covid-19 vaccine should last at least a year.
The drugmaker said it is confident that the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology it has used is suitable for implementing a vaccine based on the new variant of coronavirus that has emerged in a handful of countries.
More on that soon. In the meantime, here are the key developments from the last few hours:
- The President of Portugal gives positive results for Covid-19. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who is seeking a second term in the Jan. 24 election, has tested positive for coronavirus but has so far shown no symptoms, his office said.
- The “reckless” relaxation of the Christmas rule has been blamed on the severe growth of Covid Ireland. cThe country has the highest infection rate in the world, with critics blaming socialization during the festive period.
- Lebanon tightens Covid-19 restrictions as infections grow. Lebanon has tightened coronavirus measures by imposing a total blockade for an 11-day period and introducing new travel restrictions to stop an unprecedented increase in infections.
- Spain sees a record increase in infections over the weekend. Spain reported a record increase in coronavirus infections over the weekend and the number of new cases measured over the past 14 days rose to 436 per 100,000 people on Monday from 350 on Friday.
- Unlikely verdict from the WHO team exploring Covid’s origins in China. Expectations should be very low for a team of experts from the World Health Organization investigating the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic to reach any definitive conclusions from their first trip to China, said a WHO-affiliated health expert.
- The American parliamentarian tests positive for Covid-19 after the siege of the Capitol. A 75-year-old U.S. lawmaker tested positive for Covid-19 after he was jailed to prevent a mob from attacking the U.S. Chapter last week, saying he thought she was exposed while sheltering instead. colleagues without masks.
- The CDC says nine million Americans have now been vaccinated. The 8,987,322 people who were given the first of two fires, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, account for less than a third of the total doses distributed to states by the government.
- Two gorillas at the San Diego Zoo are positive for Covid-19. The animals tested positive for coronavirus after showing symptoms of the disease, in what is believed to be the first known transmission of the virus to monkeys.
- Dubai has been removed from the list of the UK travel corridor. Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed Monday that the United Arab Emirates is off the list and anyone arriving in the country from 4 a.m. Tuesday will be subject to the new restrictions.