BIONTECH

BioNTech has begun work on a vaccine specifically for the new variant of the coronavirus Omicron, which was first identified in South Africa.

The development of an adapted vaccine is part of the standard procedure.

The first steps for a possible new vaccine are carried out in parallel with the assessment of whether one will be needed after the advent of Omicron.

Will the vaccines stop the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the New York Times asks. The new version raises new concerns, because if it turns out that the existing vaccines do not affect it, they will have to be modified, the American publication notes.

Britain has announced that it will convene an emergency meeting of G-7 health ministers tomorrow to discuss developments in the new coronavirus variant, Omicron, Reuters reported.

Biontech says it expects to have more data within two weeks to help determine whether the coronavirus vaccine, which it co-developed with Pfizer, needs to be reworked because of a new version of the coronavirus discovered in South Africa.

Pfizer and Biontech have said they expect to be able to deliver a possible new vaccine made for the new version in about 100 days, if necessary.

The Commission for Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EDA) has recommended that the use of the Comirnaty vaccine by Biontech / Pfizer against COVID-19 be given to children aged 5 to 11 years.

The vaccine is already used on children that are 12 years old.

A study published in the British Medical Journal found a gradual increase in the risk of COVID-19 on the 19th day after taking a second dose of the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine against the new coronavirus, Medical Express reported.

In the spring at the latest, everyone living in Germany will be immune to the disease. They will either be vaccinated, recovered, or dead. This was stated today at a press conference by the Minister of Health Jens Spahn.

Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusals appear to be main stumbling blocks in achieving herd immunity, an expert has said.

Around 8.6 million people in Turkey have skipped their second and third doses of the vaccines against COVID-19, the country's health minister has said.

"You need to get your shots on time if we are to benefit more from power of the vaccinations," Fahrettin Koca wrote on Twitter on Nov. 11, urging people to stick to the vaccination program.

Turkey will offer booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine to all its citizens aged 18 and older starting on Nov. 11, the country's Health Minister has announced.

Speaking after the Health Ministry's Science Board meeting held on Nov. 11, Fahrettin Koca reminded that the country was already giving the third dose of the vaccine to those who are aged above 60.