BioNTech
Mixing Vaccines against COVID-19 provides better Protection
The immune response in people who received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines from Astra Zeneca and Biontech / Pfizer with Moderna was higher, according to a large British study.
Australia approves COVID vaccine for children aged 5-11
Australia on Dec. 5 cleared the first COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11, with the next stage of its vaccine rollout expected to start in early 2022.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said medical regulators had granted provisional approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be administered to younger children for the first time.
BioNTech CEO: I think we will Need an Adapted Vaccine against COVID-19 because of Omicron
German biotech company BioNTech should be able to adapt its coronavirus vaccine relatively quickly in response to the Omicron variant, said its CEO Ugur Shahin, adding that despite the mutations, the vaccines must continue to protect people against serious illness.
No additional measures needed, says health minister
Turkey is closely following developments in the wake of the emergence of the new COVID-19 strain, Omicron, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said, adding that the current situation does not necessitate taking additional measures.
He recalled that Turkey immediately acted after the new variant was detected in the world and imposed travel bans on certain countries.
More than 8 billion Vaccines against Covid have been Administered Worldwide
The number of coronavirus vaccinations in the world has exceeded 8 billion. More than half of them (4.16 billion) are in three countries - China (2.5 billion), India (1.2 billion) and the United States (0.46 billion).
Ursula von der Leyen: It's Time to think about Mandatory Vaccination in the EU
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that the time had come for the European Union to consider mandatory vaccination of the entire population, Euronews reports.
The EU Could Approve a Vaccine against Omicron in 3-4 Months
The European drug regulator announced on Tuesday that it would approve vaccines adapted to Covid's new version, Omicron, within three to four months if necessary, but existing drugs would continue to provide protection, Reuters reported.
Britain to convene Meeting of G-7 Health Ministers over Omicron
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.
Pfizer and Moderna expect Data on Vaccine Protection against New Covid Variant Soon
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.
Pfizer Vaccine is Now Recommended for Children aged 5 to 11
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.