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COVID-19 vaccine 90% effective in Phase 3 trial, says Pfizer
A vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was 90 percent effective in preventing Covid-19 infections in ongoing Phase 3 trials, the companies announced Monday.
The statement was released as soaring coronavirus cases across the world have forced many millions of people back into lockdown, causing further damage to ravaged economies.
European stock markets and oil prices jumped on the announcement.
And US President Donald Trump, who lost last week’s election in part over his administration’s response to the pandemic, hailed the announcement as “such great news”.
According to preliminary findings, protection in patients was achieved seven days after the second of two doses, and 28 days after the first.
The companies said they expect to supply up to 50 million vaccine doses globally in 2020, and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.
“The first set of results from our Phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial provides the initial evidence of our vaccine’s ability to prevent Covid-19,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.
“We are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis,” he said.
“We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most.”
– Seeking emergency use authorization –
Across much of the globe, Covid-19 infections rates are hitting record highs, with hospital intensive care units filling up and death tolls mounting.
US biotech firm Moderna, several state-run Chinese labs, and a European project led by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca are also thought to be closing in on potentially viable vaccines.
Two Russian Covid-19 vaccines have been registered for use even before clinical trials were completed, but have not been widely accepted outside of Russia.
The Phase 3 clinical trial — the final stage — of the new vaccine, BNT162b2, began in late July and has enrolled 43,538 participants to date, 90 percent of whom have received a second dose of the vaccine candidate as of November 8.
Pfizer said it is gathering two months of safety data following the final dose — a requirement of the US Food and Drug Administration — to qualify for Emergency Use Authorization, which it expects by the third week in November.
“We look forward to sharing additional efficacy and safety data generated from thousands of participants in the coming weeks,” Bourla said.
– ‘Watershed moment’ –
While the Pfizer-BioNTech trial has yet to be peer-reviewed by experts, scientists reacted positively — if cautiously to the results.
Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton, called it an “excellent result for a first-generation vaccine”.
Peter Horby, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Global Health in the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, said Pfizer’s announcement “feels to me like a watershed moment” in the pandemic.
But others pointed out that there would likely be significant logistical problems in getting the vaccine to everyone, especially given it must be kept super-cooled and currently requires two doses to bestow immunity.
Eleanor Riley, professor of Immunology and Infectious Disease at the University of Edinburgh, said for example that Monday’s results did not disclose the ages of participants.
“If a vaccine is to reduce severe disease and death, and thus enable the population at large to return to their normal day-to-day lives, it will need to be effective in older and elderly members of our society,” she said.
– Dozens more candidates –
The so-called messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccine is a new approach to protecting against viral infection.
Unlike traditional vaccines, which work by training the body to recognize and kill proteins produced by pathogens, mRNA tricks the patient’s immune system to produce viral proteins itself.
The proteins are harmless, but sufficient to provoke a robust immune response.
The study also will evaluate the potential for the vaccine candidate to provide protection against COVID-19 in those who have had prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2, as well as vaccine prevention against severe COVID-19 disease.
Pfizer and BioNTech plan to submit data from the full Phase 3 trial for scientific peer-review publication.
As of mid-October, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 42 “candidate vaccines” at the stage of clinical trials, up from 11 in mid-June.
Ten of them were at the most advanced phase 3 stage, in which a vaccine’s effectiveness is tested on a large scale, generally tens of thousands of people across several continents.
• Dismisses claims of gubernatorial ambition under ADC.
Former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has publicly reaffirmed his unwavering loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, pledging full commitment to the President’s 2027 re-election campaign.
In a strongly worded statement, Ambode dismissed recent speculations linking him to a governorship ambition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the reports as “false publications” aimed at causing distractions.
“I wish to publicly reaffirm my absolute and unshakable loyalty to the APC, the party under which I had the privilege of serving Lagos State as governor in 2015, and to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, my leader, mentor, and a tireless champion for Nigeria’s progress,” Ambode said.
The former governor praised President Tinubu’s leadership style, describing him as a “proven achiever and result-oriented leader” whose administration has delivered significant reforms in pensions, student loan accessibility, youth empowerment, and national economic growth.
Highlighting key achievements of the Tinubu administration, Ambode pointed to the elimination of fuel scarcity, improved security measures, and policies designed to improve the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
“His focus, determination, and inclusive governance style are restoring hope and delivering tangible results. I am convinced that, given another four years, Nigerians will have even greater reason to celebrate,” Ambode stated.
He urged party faithful and Nigerians at large to ignore political distractions, pledging to work tirelessly to strengthen the APC and ensure President Tinubu’s victory in 2027.
“Let it be clear: I stand solidly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress. We will work together to ensure victory in 2027 to continue delivering the dividends of democracy to all Nigerians,” Ambode concluded.
Ambode’s declaration comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the former governor making it clear that his political loyalty remains firmly with the APC and its leader.
The Sino-Afrik Media Documentation and Development Network a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has unveiled plans to publish its first yearly report on China Africa media experience this year, noting that it would further boost cooperation and mutual understanding between Chinese and African media practitioners, while at the same time taming the monster of fake news and misinformation about China Africa relations
This is contained in a press released signed by the Executive Director of the Centre, Dr. Austin Maho, and made available to the press today in Abuja
Dr. Maho stressed that the initiative seeks to enhance media consciousness in the digital media age and to educate media practitioners on the nuances of reporting China and African issues in the face of global media propaganda fake news and misinformation
” Our goal is to provide authentic news about China Africa. As we all know the global information flow is skewed in favour of the global north and the only way to be able to correct this news imbalance is through collaboration and providing the platforms and network for verification of news to enhance objective, balanced and truthful journalism that serves the interests of our peoples”
*To achieve this Sino-Afrik, starting from 2025 plans to carry out a yearly research to document and assess media experience about China African relations., with emphasis on news accuracy, objectivity, fairness and balance. This enables the center to make make appropriate recommendations to address, cases of negative media propaganda, fake news and mis- information”.
Dr. Maho also commended the board of directors of the center for their support and efforts in ensuring that the Sino-Afrik is able to carry out its mandate assuring that once the report is ready it would be made public
By: Fabian Apechihin
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has partnered with the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) to introduce YouthCred, a loan scheme designed to provide serving corps members with access to credit facilities of up to ₦200,000.
The partnership was sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Abuja. CREDICORP CEO, Engr. Uzoma Nwagba, announced that ₦9 billion has been allocated for the programme’s first phase, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to extend consumer credit to 400,000 Nigerians.
To qualify, corps members will be required to complete a brief digital credit education course. The loans can be applied towards relocation expenses, business equipment, vocational training, or small-scale startups. Nwagba stressed that the initiative is aimed at fostering financial literacy and encouraging responsible borrowing.
NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Akinyemi Nafiu, described the scheme as a landmark development, saying it will equip corps members with the resources to venture into entrepreneurship and contribute to national growth.
I can also prepare a short, catchy social media caption for this if you want to push it as a trending news update.
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