According to Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Moderna Inc Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel believes the coronavirus epidemic might be ended in a year due to increasing vaccine manufacturing.
"If you look at the industry-wide expansion of production capacities over the past six months, enough doses should be available by the middle of next year so that everyone on this earth can be vaccinated. Boosters should also be possible to the extent required," he told the newspaper in an interview.
He said that vaccines against Covid-19 would soon be available even for infants.
"Those who do not get vaccinated will immunize themselves naturally because the Delta variant is so contagious. In this way, we will end up in a situation similar to that of the flu. You can either get vaccinated and have a good winter. Or you don't do it and risk getting sick and possibly even ending up in hospital."
"As of today, in a year, I assume," he said when he was asked if that meant a return to normal in the second half of next year.
Bancel predicted that governments would allow booster injections for those who had previously been immunised since patients at risk who had been immunized last autumn "undoubtedly" required a refresher.
Its booster injection had half the dosage of the first dose, implying that there would be more of them available.
"The volume of vaccine is the biggest limiting factor. With half the dose, we would have 3 billion doses available worldwide for the coming year instead of just 2 billion," he said.
Since there was not enough time available top Moderna to change the composition of its booster shots, the composition of the additional shots is the same as the original at least for this year, he said.
"We are currently testing Delta-optimized variants in clinical trials. They will form the basis for the booster vaccination for 2022. We are also trying out Delta plus Beta, the next mutation that scientists believe is likely."
He added that the same production lines can be used by Moderna for making vaccines for the new variants of the coronavirus as was used for vaccine manufacturing against the original strain of the virus. At the same time, there will also be no change in the price of the vaccine.
(Source:www.reuters.com)
"If you look at the industry-wide expansion of production capacities over the past six months, enough doses should be available by the middle of next year so that everyone on this earth can be vaccinated. Boosters should also be possible to the extent required," he told the newspaper in an interview.
He said that vaccines against Covid-19 would soon be available even for infants.
"Those who do not get vaccinated will immunize themselves naturally because the Delta variant is so contagious. In this way, we will end up in a situation similar to that of the flu. You can either get vaccinated and have a good winter. Or you don't do it and risk getting sick and possibly even ending up in hospital."
"As of today, in a year, I assume," he said when he was asked if that meant a return to normal in the second half of next year.
Bancel predicted that governments would allow booster injections for those who had previously been immunised since patients at risk who had been immunized last autumn "undoubtedly" required a refresher.
Its booster injection had half the dosage of the first dose, implying that there would be more of them available.
"The volume of vaccine is the biggest limiting factor. With half the dose, we would have 3 billion doses available worldwide for the coming year instead of just 2 billion," he said.
Since there was not enough time available top Moderna to change the composition of its booster shots, the composition of the additional shots is the same as the original at least for this year, he said.
"We are currently testing Delta-optimized variants in clinical trials. They will form the basis for the booster vaccination for 2022. We are also trying out Delta plus Beta, the next mutation that scientists believe is likely."
He added that the same production lines can be used by Moderna for making vaccines for the new variants of the coronavirus as was used for vaccine manufacturing against the original strain of the virus. At the same time, there will also be no change in the price of the vaccine.
(Source:www.reuters.com)
