Inside Story

Will there be a COVID-19 vaccine soon?

Drugmaker Pfizer announces its vaccine candidate is ‘more than 90 percent effective’.

It’s being hailed as a great day for science and humanity.

United States drug giant Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine candidate worked on more than 90 percent of people during a mass clinical trial.

The company, along with Germany’s BioNTech, wants to get emergency approval soon, so people can get the vaccination from December onwards.

It’s one of a dozen vaccines in the final stages of testing, raising hopes of an end to the pandemic. However, scientists are urging caution.

So how do we ensure everyone has equal access to a vaccine once it’s available?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom

Guests:

Oscar Alleyne – Epidemiologist and chief of programmes and services, National Association of County and City Health Officials in the US

Gian Gandhi – Coordinator for the United Nations Children’s Fund to roll out a potential COVID-19 vaccine

Ali Fattom – Vaccinologist and vice president of Vaccine Research and Development, BlueWillow Biologics