Waiting less than a week after the presidential election to announce completion of Phase III trials for their coronavirus AKA SARS CoV-2 or Covid-19 vaccine, Pfizer issued its press release today with the good news. Whether Pfizer’s announcement was timed after the Associated Press and all major networks declared 77-year-old former Vice President Joe Biden the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election, Saturday, Nov. 7. looks suspicious. Losing the election, 74-year-old President Donald Trump can’t be happy about losing the election, knowing Pfizer’s announcement might have helped his chances. Both Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) called any vaccine developed under Trump untrustworthy but now, after the election, they have changed their tune, knowing it was just campaign nonsense. Trump can only ask what if Pfizer’s announcement happened before Nov. 3.
Pfizer’s announcement today was good enough to rocket up all major stock indexes in the biggest one-day rally of the year. Dow Jones Industrial ended the day up 834.57 at 29,157.97 or 2.95%, only 300 points off its record Feb. 12 high 29,551.42l, before Covid-19 took its toll March 11, when World Health Organization [WHO] declared a global pandemic. Pfizer’s announcement was welcomed news for the current U.S. spike in 10,373,953 Covid-19 cases and 244,154 deaths. Pfizer’s vaccine gave Wall Street a shot in the arm, promising to do the same for First Responders sometime near 2021, once Pfizer gets FDA emergency-use authorization. Calling it a “great day for science and humanity,” Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla, mentioned nothing about Joe and Kamala’s warning not to trust Pfizer’s vaccine. Voters surely know what utter rubbish Joe and Kamala’s statements today.
Pfizer’s vaccine has been shown in 44,000 Phase 3 trials around the world to be safe and 90% effective, far greater that many scientists predicted, exceeding the FDA’s own approval standard of 50% effectiveness. “We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen,” Bourla said. Markets responded euphorically, despite not knowing the exact timetable for the Pfizer vaccine reaching public distribution. “With today’s news, 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,” Bourla said. No Democrat has given Trump any credit for pushing Operation Warp Speed, pushing for a Covid-19 vaccine in record time.
Johns Hopkins University senior scholar Dr. Amesh Adalja said Pfizer’s 90% efficacy rate is far higher than the 50% required by the FDA for vaccine approval. “We thought their main value would be in preventing hospitalizations and deaths, but we think of maybe 50% to 60% efficacy. So this is surprising,” pleased by Pfizer’s result. Mayo Clinic’s Chief Vaccinologist Dr. Gregory Poland thought Pfizer’s 90% number could be a little high because it doesn’t take into account novel coronavirus mutations. “We don’t know anything about the efficacy of this vaccine against mutated viruses, and this is important,” Poland said. “These vaccines allow your body to see one piece of the virus. But what happens when that protein changes?” Poland of course, like Adlajia, is pleased that Pfizer’s Phase 3 trials are complete, looking forward to the First Responders and the public getting vaccinated.
Poland explained about Pfizer’s RNA-messenger technology, a new method for creating vaccines. “This is the genetic code for one piece of the virus, the spike protein. So you literally construct the genetic code and inject it into muscle cells, which use our body’s machinery to translate that series of nucleic acids into a protein,” Poland said. Another vaccine maker Moderna has used the same mRNA as Pfizer to create their novel coronavirus vaccine. “We haven’t had a mRNA vaccine for humans but it does raise questions about whether the other vaccines like Moderna’s will have the same safety profile,” Poland said. Poland wants to see the peer-reviewed article showing the data analysis done on 44,000 Phase 3 subjects to determine the vaccine’s actual safety and effectiveness. Poland isn’t ready to determine a safety profile for Pfizer’s vaccine without seeing peer-reviewed research.
Poland doesn’t think Pfizer has tested its new Covid-19 on enough different populations, including those at high risk for illness and death. “We know nothing about safety in children, pregnant women, highly immuno-compromised people, older people or the hardest hit populations,” Poland said. “And you also have to remember, these are results for the most part in a world wearing masks. What’s the efficacy when masks are off and we’re not distancing? We don’t know,” Poland said. Pfizer plans to apply for FDA’s emergency use authorization to begin vaccinating First Responders as soon as possible. Poland’s concerns, while valid, don’t emphasize enough how important the vaccine is for worldwide morale. With Covid-19 spiking around the globe, having a safe and effective vaccine gives some measure of relief, no matter how false. Getting it to market quickly helps the public get back to normal.
