Pfizer says it is 90% effective
-November 9,2020-
Vandenberg’s base commander,Col Anthony Mastalir announced November 6 that the central coast Air Force base would be one of the first places pharmaceutical company Pfizer would ship their COVID-19 vaccine in more than enough quantity to vaccinate the entire base.
“We’ve been told to expect about 10,000 doses next month” Mastalir told the base at a video Facebook town hall meeting last Friday.
Pfzier has said their vaccine that has been undergoing clinical trials for efficacy and safety now expects to be granted so-called Emergency Use Authorization(EAU) from the Food and Drug Administration.
This local news parallels what is happening on the world stage as of Monday morning with the Pfizer announcement that their most recent clinical trial proved to be better than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19, similar to other highly effective vaccines for smallpox and measles and far more effective than flu vaccines.
On November 9 the American company Pfizer announced that the vaccine candidate was found to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 in participants without evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first interim efficacy analysis. Their Analysis evaluated 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in trial participants.
The study enrolled 43,538 participants, with 42% having diverse backgrounds, and no serious safety concerns have been observed; Safety and additional efficacy data continue to be collected, they say.
Great day for science
“It is a great day for science. It is a great day for humanity,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla of the vaccine trial results. “I think we can see light at the end of the tunnel.” The news jolted Wall Street in a good way with the Dow opening more than 1400 points higher.
Bourla has said recently that “three key areas where, as with all vaccines, we must demonstrate success in order to seek approval for public use. First, the vaccine must be proven effective, meaning it can help prevent COVID-19 disease in at least a majority of vaccinated patients. Second and equally important, the vaccine must be proven safe, with robust safety data generated from thousands of patients. And finally, we must demonstrate that the vaccine can be consistently manufactured at the highest quality standards.”
They expect that milestone to be achieved as of the third week of November, said Bourla, the first of several companies working on Covid vaccines to reach this threshold for approval.
Vandenberg may be first in line suggesting they will be the first Air Force base to receive the vaccine under the EUA rule.
The company launched its U.S. Phase 3 trials on July 27. Pfizer and partner BioNTech are seen as the leader in getting their COVID-19 vaccine ready for public use.
Base commander Mastalir says the “goal is to return to the life we had pre-Covid.” He hopes there will be enough doses to inoculate not just base personnel but their families, contractors and others who come to the base – even expecting to make it available to surrounding communities.
Base officials briefed personnel that their participation in what will be a two shot protocol – will be voluntary. While much of the US is experiencing record levels of COVID, California, and Santa Barbara County are below the 5% positivity level and stable. SLO County cases are low as well but with a recent spike seen among Cal Poly students.Right now Santa Barbara County is experiencing a low 2.4% positivity rate.
The Vandenberg plan is to offer the vaccine given twice with a 21 day interval. The shot is given in the upper arm. Dr Paul Vu medical director assured listeners that the vaccine was” not a live virus.” The goal, he said, was to build up antibodies in the lymph glands that could fight off Covid 19 if it struck. He said the vaccine is being made in the US and Germany.
Before the vaccine can be used widely in an unrestricted way, it must undergo a trial period of 2 years. This vaccine has been in clinical trials for 6 months. Given the pandemic, FDA plans to allow targeted use under the EUA rule.
Consumer acceptance?
President Trump famously boasted the vaccine would be ready by the election but that was to be. Still, the news this week shows the promise of the Operation Warp Speed project designed to quickly distribute the vaccine once it gets approval. On the CBS program 60 Minutes on Sunday, the head of the project commented that his fear was that even if the vaccine is proven effective and made available – many people will be hesitant to take it.
But there is optimism at the base.“We could be a distribution hub for the Central Coast” stated Commander Mastalir November 6. With enough people vaccinated – the base hopes to achieve “herd immunity”, he said.
The Mayo Clinic says herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who are immune.
The Vandenberg community is already a kind of “bubble” and may be an attractive candidate to test if a somewhat isolated community with a controlled visitor gate – can quickly return to normal life.
Despite what may be good news long term, Mastalir warned listeners not to let their guard down in coming weeks by getting together with distant relatives traveling to or from Covid hot spots over the coming holidays. ”Now may not be with time.” he suggested. As of today, base personnel are being told they can visit anywhere in California except Los Angeles County which requires permission.