Seven big unknowns about the breakthrough coronavirus vaccine: Pfizer has, however, published a press release suggesting the vaccine is more than 90 per cent effective – a move that has left many eager to find out what the full details of the study are to date and when it will be peer-reviewed. We know that this particular vaccine uses a small piece of messenger RNA (mRNA) from the Sars-CoV-2 virus, not the full virus itself, to provoke an immune response. Two doses are required. The trial participants represent a broad range of demographics – 42 per cent are from racially or ethnically diverse backgrounds.
But in any clinical trial, the devil really is in the detail. These are seven key questions to which we need answers before we can be truly confident that life will return to “normal” in the coming months.
Does the vaccine prevent infection or just symptoms?
What happened to the trial participants who became ill?
Does efficacy depend on the age or health status of the recipient?
How long does immunity last?
Will the vaccine get approval?
Is it feasible to distribute this vaccine to billions of people?
What are the UK’s plans for getting people vaccinated?
