Don’t Cheer Yet – There Is Too Much at Stake on COVID-19 Vaccines

Type Web Page Author Kalipso Chalkidou URL https://www.cgdev.org/blog/dont-cheer-yet-there-too-much-stake-covid-19-vaccines Date 10/11/2020 Website Type Blog Language en Abstract Yesterday, Pfizer/BNTech issued a press release on the status of their COVID-19 vaccine candidate that is encouraging. However, in addition to the three concerns specific to resource-constrained settings that my colleague Rachel Silverman shared yesterday, cheering is probably not (yet) in order in wealthier countries either. No real data available in the public domain What does a vaccine being “90 percent effective” mean? Does the vaccine moderate flu-like symptoms? Or does it prevent hospitalisations, ICU admissions, and perhaps even deaths? Does it prevent transmission? How long will its protective effect last? With fewer than 100 participants across the intervention and control arms, no data on safety yet, and no peer review, caution is in order. Website Title Center For Global Development