The scientist behind the first Covid-19 vaccine that has proved 90% effective says he is convinced that his product can fight the virus and end the pandemic that has held the world hostage in 2020.
German company BioNTech and US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced in a press release on Monday that their vaccine has been found to be 90% effective in stopping the disease. In an interview with the Guardian, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin expressed optimism: "If the question is whether we can stop the pandemic with this vaccine, then my answer is: Yes."
Until the results of Monday's tests were revealed, the scientist said, he was not sure if his vaccine would trigger a strong reaction in the human immune system.
"It was possible that the virus was not targeted by the vaccine, so it could find its way to other cells and continue to make people sick. Now we know that vaccines can defeat this virus."
The experimental vaccine was developed through the method known as mRNA. While other vaccines take genetic information from a virus and cultivate it in a human cell, the mRNA method simply requires the genetic code of the virus, thus shortening the production process.
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