News Analysis India

Tag: Pfizer

  • Brazil President Bolsonaro Says ‘COVID-19 Vaccine Can Turn People Into Crocodiles’

    In a bizarre remark on COVID-19 vaccines, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that the vaccine developed by Pfizer- BioNTech could turn people into ‘crocodiles’ or ‘bearded ladies’. Earlier this weak, when Brazil launched its mass inoculation drive, Bolsonaro said that he won’t get vaccinated. Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe, the Brazilian President has been sceptical of the virus and also termed it as a “little flu”.

    As per the local media reports, Jair Bolsonaro said that he will not need the COVID-19 vaccine because he has already tested positive for Coronavirus due to which his body has developed the antibodies for the virus. This statement from the country’s President comes when Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been undergoing trials in Brazil. Meanwhile, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is already being used in the United States and Britain. 

  • Two medical workers were allergic to Pfizer vaccine in America, hospitalized

    Two medical personnel have had a severe allergic reaction and have to be hospitalized after being vaccinated by Pfizer and Bioentech in the US state of Alaska.

    On Wednesday, 10 minutes after being vaccinated by another medical worker of the same hospital, his eyes were swollen, dizzy and scratches on his throat emerged. The health worker however recovered within an hour of his hospitalization and was discharged from the hospital. This is the first case of allergy due to Corona vaccine in the US so far.

  • Trump Promises ‘free Vaccines’ After Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Earns FDA Nod

    The US on Friday has given a green light to the nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine. The development came after the US Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of a vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech. US President Donald Trump has reacted to the development and assured free vaccine for all Americans. 

    Taking to Twitter, Trump announced that the FDA’s decision to authorize emergency use of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine. Terming the decision as a ‘medical miracle’ Trump has thanked all the scientists, doctors and workers for the vaccine. In addition, Trump has also stated that his administration had disbursed over two hundred million dollars to Pfizer for the development of over a hundred million doses of the vaccine. Trump further assured that the vaccine will be free for all Americans.

     Following the nod from the FDA, the US government had also tied up with FedEx and UPS to ship the vaccine doses to every state in the country. Apart from this announcement, Trump has also remarked that the vaccine’s first dose will be administered within 24 hours. However, Trump has expressed that the senior citizens, healthcare workers and first responders will be the first ones to receive Pfizer’s Covid vaccine. 

  • First 30,000 doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine set to arrive in Canada in ‘Few Days’: Trudeau

    The first 30,000 doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine are due to arrive in Canada in a matter of days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters.

    “The first 30,000 doses are expected to arrive on Canadian soil in just a few days,” Trudeau said on Thursday, a day after health regulators approved the country’s first vaccine against the novel coronavirus, granting emergency authorization to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine candidate.
    The federal government will cover the cost of the vaccine, Trudeau added.

    The prime minister also announced that his government will create a federal vaccine support program to address the unintended adverse effects of vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine.

    Canada is expected receive up to 249,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech before the end of December, which will allow up to 124,500 Canadians to be vaccinated before the end of the year, Trudeau said on Monday.

    Public health officials say the plan is to vaccinate 40 to 50 percent of Canadians by next summer and complete the COVID-19 immunization program by September 30, 2021.

    As of Tuesday, Canadian authorities have reported over 440,000 coronavirus cases and more than 13,000 virus-related fatalities.

  • UK’s 90-year-old grandmother becomes 1st in World to get Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19

    UK’s 90-year-old grandmother Margaret Keenan becomes world’s first person to receive Pfizer/BioNTech jab against COVID-19.

    She was given the injection at 06:31 GMT – the first of 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that will be given in the coming weeks.“I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19,” said Keenan.

  • Japan Parliament Approves Bill To Provide Free COVID-19 Vaccine To Its 126 Mn Residents

    Japan’s parliament on Wednesday, December 2 approved the bill to provide free COVID-19 vaccination to its 126 million people. The bill received the approval of the upper house of the parliament after being passed in the powerful lower house. The bill will make the local authorities of Japan responsible for managing the immunisations across prefectures. 

    The passage of the bill comes at a time when Japan is suffering from a second wave of the disease. The bill includes a provision that would require citizens to make efforts towards getting vaccinated, but it won’t come into effect until the safety and efficacy of the vaccine are proven. The bill would also allow the government to compensate private companies in case health problems occur from vaccination resulting in financial losses.

    Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has vowed to put all efforts into securing vaccines as soon as they are approved by the regulators. According to the Japan Times, the country has reportedly secured 120 million doses of potential COVID-19 vaccine from British firm AstraZeneca, while another 60 and 25 million doses from American giants Pfizer and Moderna respectively. However, not everyone in Japan is enthusiastic about getting vaccinated as a survey from Ipsos showed that only 69 percent of Japanese residents are willing to get a vaccine, which is lower than the global average of 73 percent. 

  • India booking to buy Corona vaccine dose, number three in the world

    Corona vaccine research released in many countries of the world including India is in its final stage. Moderna and Pfizer have even claimed to have completed the vaccine trial and have also declared the vaccine to be 95% safe. Many companies have started mass production in view of good results in trials, so there is a competition between big countries for their purchase and deals. In such a situation, India has also made advance booking to buy more than 150 crore doses.

    According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, India ranks third in terms of commitment to purchase the Kovid-19 vaccine dose. The number of America and European Union is before India. The report is based on the launch and scale speedometer initiative of Duke University, which is studying the reasons that have hindered access to health innovation in low-income countries. According to the ‘Launch and Scale Speedometer Initiative’, India ranks third in terms of ‘Kovid-19 Vaccine Advance Market Commitments’, ahead of the US and the EU.

  • Israel To Sign Agreement To Procure 8 Million Pfizer Vaccine Doses, Supply Begins In Jan

    Israel will sign a provisional deal with Pfizer Inc to procure over 8 million doses of the experimental coronavirus vaccine from January onwards, Israel’s health minister said in a statement. The deal will be subject to approval by Israel’s Health Ministry and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The vaccine supply will begin in January 2021 for 4 million people, and will continue through the year 2021 to obtain 8 million doses, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said in a statement. 

    On November 12, Pfizer confirmed deals with countries for the supply of COVID-19 vaccine’s safe doses, claiming that the still-experimental vaccine candidate was more than 90 percent effective based on initial clinical trials. The pharmaceutical firm confirmed that it reached an agreement to provides a supply of 200 million doses and an additional 100 million doses of its BNT162B2 MRNA-based vaccine to European countries. The deliveries worldwide are anticipated to start by the end of 2020, subject to regulatory approval, Pfizer said in a statement. Pfizer and BioNTech initiated a rolling submission to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in October, and are now entering deals with other countries. 

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a state press conference that large doses of the vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. will be received in Israel by January and the government was working to get vaccines from other companies, as well. “We have to follow the rules,” Netanyahu said in a press address.

    Pfizer and BioNTech announced their mRNA-based vaccine candidate, BNT162b2, against SARS-CoV-2 on November 9. The company claimed that the experimental vaccine demonstrated evidence of efficacy based on the interim efficacy analysis conducted on November 8, 2020, by an external, independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC). “DMC reviewed 94 cases,” Pfizer said in a release.