“Probably one day there will be a corona variant that is resistant to our vaccine.” It is a little encouraging message that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla brought in an interview with Fox News.
But there is also good news because if that variant is introduced, a new effective vaccine could be on the market within three months.
“Every time a new variant appears in the world, our scientists investigate whether our vaccine still works efficiently enough. So far, it has been working fine, but we do think that one day a variant will slip through the net,” said Bourla in the interview.
Fortunately, the appropriate defence is already on point. “We work according to a certain process. This allows us to develop a vaccine specifically aimed at that variant within 95 days.”
That is why it remains essential that as many people as possible are vaccinated. Because the sooner many people are vaccinated, the less chance the virus has to mutate. Therefore, WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus finds it irresponsible that some countries are already thinking of a booster shot. He would rather see such a third shot postponed for two months.
“Share your stock with poorer countries first, so that they get their first and second shot at the right level,” is his appeal.