FLORIDA, USA — An experimental vaccine for COVID-19 is said to be about 90% effective in preventing the virus.
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech made the announcement Monday morning, and it is the first time drugmakers have showed successful data from a large-scale clinical trial.
“I believe this is likely the most significant medical advance in the last hundred years,” said Albert Bourla, Pfizer CEO during a CNBC interview. “I think we can see light at the end of the tunnel.”
The trial consists of two shots in a span of about three weeks.
About 40,000 people are participating in the monumental trial, including the whole Hajdenberg family in Central Florida.
“This is a big, big deal and it is going to help billions of people,” said father Dr. Julio Hajdenberg.
Julio Hajdenberg is a chairman of medical oncology at UF Health. His wife, Dr. Vicky Hajdenberg, is a clinical trial researcher.
Both are well educated in the bioscience field and had no fear in their family joining the clinical trial.
“We felt pretty comfortable,” Julio Hajdenberg said. “It’s two doses and the compound doesn’t stay in your body for a long time.”
“The disease is much worse than what can happen during the trial itself,” Vicky said.
The companies said, so far, they have not found serious safety concerns.
The Hajdenberg’s have no way of knowing whether they received the vaccine or a placebo, but they believe they experienced some mild side effects.
“I had a minimal headache,” Julio said. “I had some pain in my left arm that lasted about two or three days.”
Julio said his symptoms were nothing that aspirin couldn’t fix.
Their daughter, Jackie Hajdenberg had the same symptoms, but Julio said she had a mild fever as well that didn’t last long.
At 80 years old, Julio’s mother is also participating in the trial. He says she hasn’t experienced any side effects.
“She says she’s extremely pleased she participated,” Julio said. “She thinks she did the right thing. She said she would do it again.”
Bourla said none of this would have been possible without the brave trial participants.
“I think the world owes them big time,” Bourla said.
Bourla says the companies will have up to 50 million vaccine doses this year, and 1.3 billion doses in 2021.
Those doses would be distributed proportionally to other countries as well that signed contracts with companies.
The trial still must be completed and the vaccine submitted for FDA emergency use authorization before it can be distributed around the US.