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Three shot course of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine provided significant protection against Omicron

Israeli researchers said on Saturday they found that a three-shot course of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provided significant protection against the new Omicron variant. The findings were similar to those presented by BioNTech and Pfizer earlier in the week, which were an early signal that booster shots could be key to protect against infection from […]

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BioNTech and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine neutralises Omicron variant with three shots

BioNTech and Pfizer said on Wednesday a three-shot course of their COVID-19 vaccine was able to neutralise the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test and they could deliver an Omicron-based vaccine in March 2022 if needed. In the first official statement from vaccine manufacturers on the likely efficacy of their shot against Omicron, BioNTech […]

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‘Don’t freak out, keep your cool’: BioNTech CEO says amid Omicron variant scare

Ugur Sahin, the co-founder of BioNTech who invented one of the world’s first Covid-19 vaccines, has asked people to keep their cool amid the discovery of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In an interview to The Wall Street Journal, Ugur Sahin said that while the Omicron variant could lead to more vaccinated people becoming […]

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Pfizer’s experimental pill ‘Paxlovid’ reduces risk of hospitalization, death from Covid-19

American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Pfizer said its experimental pill designed to fight coronavirus reduced the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk patients taking part in a trial of the drug. The company hopes it can eventually offer the pill, given in combination with an older antiviral drug called ritonavir, to people to […]

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New Zealand reports first death linked to Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

New Zealand reported its first death linked to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. The information was released by the health ministry following a review by an independent COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring board of the death of a woman after receiving the vaccine. The identity and age of the woman has not been revealed. An independent board […]

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US drug regulator grants full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for people aged 16 and older. This is the first coronavirus vaccine approved by the FDA, and is expected to open the door to more vaccine mandates. “The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will […]

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Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine less effective against Indian B.1.617 strain, French study finds

The Pfizer vaccine is slightly less effective but appears to still protect against the more transmissible strain of the virus prevalent in India that causes Covid-19, according to a study by France’s Pasteur Institute. “Despite slightly diminished efficacy, the Pfizer vaccine probably protects” against the variant found in India, according to laboratory test results, said […]

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EU drug regulators approve Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for 12-15 year olds

The EU’s medicines agency (EMA) has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 12-15 year olds – the first jab allowed for this age group in the bloc. Marco Cavaleri, the EMA’s head of vaccine strategy, said the 12-15 age group would require two doses with an interval of at least three weeks. He said trials showed […]

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Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines are highly effective against strain found in India

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines have been found to be highly effective against the coronavirus variant that was first identified in India. The Pfizer vaccine was 88% effective and the AstraZeneca jab was 60% effective against the so-called ‘Indian strain’ – B1617.2 – after the second dose. Both the vaccines were more effective against the […]

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Pfizer vaccine after AstraZeneca dose is highly safe and effective, Spanish study finds

A Spanish study on mixing Covid vaccines has found that giving a dose of Pfizer’s drug to people who already received a first shot of AstraZeneca vaccine is highly safe and effective, , preliminary data showed on Tuesday. The Combivacs study, run by Spain’s state-backed Carlos III Health Institute, found the presence of IgG antibodies […]

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Pfizer Covid vaccine can now be stored at fridge temperature for 30 days, European drug regulator says

The European Union’s drugs regulator said the Pfizer Covid vaccine can now be stored at fridge temperature for much longer than it previously recommended. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that once the vaccines thawed, unopened vials could be kept in the fridge for up to a month. The current limit is just five days. […]

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United States drug regulator approves Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for 12 to 15 year olds

The drug regulators in the United States has authorised the Pfizer vaccine for 12- to-15-year-olds amid a push to get the shot into more Americans’ arms. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was “a significant step in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic”. FDA Commissioner Dr Janet Woodcock said the move was aimed […]