Coronavirus vaccinations could start early 2021 – German Firm
The head of
Germany’s vaccines regulator said people living in Germany could be vaccinated
early next year against the coronavirus that has killed hundreds of thousands
and wreaked havoc on the global economy.
More than half a
dozen drugmakers around the world are conducting advanced clinical trials, each
with tens of thousands of participants, and several expect to know if their
COVID-19 vaccines work and are safe by the end of this year.
Klaus Cichutek, Head
of the Paul Ehrlich Institut, told the Funke group of newspapers that data from
Phase I and Phase II trials showed some vaccines triggered an immune response
against the coronavirus.
“If data from Phase
III trials shows the vaccines are effective and safe, the first vaccines could
be approved at the beginning of the year, possibly with conditions attached,’’
he said.
“Based on assurances
from manufacturers, the first doses for people in Germany will be available at
that time, in accordance with the priorities set by the Standing Committee on
Vaccination,’’ Cichutek said, referring to the group that makes recommendations
for the use of licensed vaccines in Germany.
The coronavirus has
infected more than 22 million people worldwide since first being detected in
China late last year.
Almost 800,000
patients have died.
Several companies,
including Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer Inc, say they, each, expect to make
more than one billion doses of a vaccine next year.
German biotechnology
firm, CureVac, has not ruled out a speedy approval process for its prospective
vaccine and expects to have it on the market by mid-2021.
Last week, Russian
President Vladimir Putin said his country had become the first country to grant
regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human
testing.
Russia has said the
vaccine will be rolled out by the end of this month.
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