Top scientists have reacted positively to early results from drug firms Pfizer and BioNTech that suggest their coronavirus vaccine is more than 90 per cent effective.
The findings – yet to be peer-reviewed – appear to exceed expectations, with reports suggesting that experts thought vaccines would be nearer to 60 or 70 per cent effective.
The data comes from Phase-3 clinical trials that are continuing and further results expected are later this month.
Prof David Taylor, professor emeritus of pharmaceutical and public health policy at University College London, described the results as “a big step towards controlling the pandemic”.
The trial data show excellent results... really impressive protection
He cautioned, however, that the results were preliminary and did not mean that people should abandon social distancing and other measures to prevent spread of the virus.
Should the vaccine be given approval for widespread use, a maximum of about 50m doses would be available this year, with capacity for 1.3bn more to be manufactured in 2021, according to Pfizer and BioNTech, its German pharmaceutical company trial partner.
While reports indicate the vaccine does cause side effects, such as aches and fever, these are not thought to be worse than what is often seen with vaccines.
Professor David Salisbury, an associate fellow at the London think tank Chatham House and former director of immunisation at the UK Department of Health, said “90 per cent is a great result”. He said it remained to be seen how safe the vaccine was and how long the protection it offered lasted.
"Everybody is excited about a vaccine with 90 per cent reported efficacy," he told The National.
Pfizer and BioNTech said there have been 94 Covid-19 cases so far among participants in its Phase-3 clinical trials, in which people are given either the vaccine or a placebo.
The split of cases between those vaccinated and those given the placebo indicated “a vaccine efficacy rate above 90 per cent” seven days after the second dose of the vaccine, which is given 21 days after the first.
The key questions about the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine candidate had been about the ability to manufacture it at scale and toxicity, according to Prof Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading in the UK.
Toxicity was a potential concern because the vaccine consists of messenger RNA (mRNA), a type of genetic material. As yet, no mRNA vaccines have been approved for use in humans.
"The trial data show excellent results in both of those areas, really impressive protection and no reported adverse events," Prof Jones told The National.
“The only things we will not know for some time is the longevity of the response in all age groups, but assuming antibody [levels] are high that should be at least as good as any other vaccine currently in trial.
“More generally this would appear to indicate that this approach has legs and is likely to useful for other emerging diseases.”
The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is one of 11 around the world in phase 3 clinical trials, which involve thousands of participants and as well as testing effectiveness, look for rare and potentially harmful side effects.
Other vaccines are expected to report phase 3 data in the coming months, although even before phase 3 trials are completed, some vaccinations programmes have started in China.
Some senior UAE officials and ministers, including Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, have already received a coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese company Sinopharm.
The Pfizer/BioNTech Phase-3 clinical trials began in late July and have enrolled 43,538 participants, of whom 38,955 had received a second dose of the vaccine as of Sunday.
Overall 42 per cent of participants globally and 30 per cent of those in the US “have racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds”.
“Today is a great day for science and humanity. 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,” Dr Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement.
“We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development programme at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen.”
The trial will continue until a total of 164 participants have been confirmed to have had Covid-19. They will also look at how effective the vaccine is at preventing the disease in those who have already had it, and whether the vaccine can prevent severe illness among those infected.
The companies said they hoped to have enough data to apply for an emergency use authorisation for the vaccine from the US Federal Drug Administration in the third week of November.
In total 47 vaccines are in clinical trials, according to the World Health Organisation, with a further 155 in preclinical evaluation, meaning that they have not yet been tested on people.
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
