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Pfizer’s announcement that its vaccine, developed in collaboration with German biotech company BioNTech, was effective in preventing COVID-19 in 90% of cases, caused euphoria in the stock markets. The value of its shares has increased by up to 9%. Businesses related to tourism and travel have also improved, in contrast, players who have been very busy during the block, such as Zoom, Amazon, Netflix, etc.
The first logical answer is to congratulate the success of science. But before we open the champagne, we must realize that this is an mRNA vaccine that only requires obtaining the genetic code of the pathogen instead of gradually culturing the attenuated strains of the virus. Furthermore, it is a biphasic serum that has not yet been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Currently, only the results of clinical studies of 43,998 people are available, which is cause for cautious joy.
In addition to gaining the consent of health authorities around the world, the vaccine faces several challenges. First of all, a major logistical problem caused not only by the need to store it at extremely low temperatures, but also by the fact that it is a two-dose vaccine that must be distributed and controlled all over the world. Although clinical trial results can be extrapolated to a larger population, it will take a long time for a pandemic to be under control.
Furthermore, the disease will remain endemic, partly because the vaccine will not reach certain parts of the world for very long, and partly because some people will refuse to be vaccinated. And last but not least, because acquired immunity may not be permanent. It is therefore naive to expect the vaccine to return to normal immediately. And it would also be punishable not to maintain some of the practices we have become accustomed to during a pandemic.
For example, a mass return to the office makes no sense when it has been discovered that you can work perfectly from home. Also, the fact that we will soon be able to travel freely does not mean that we should all fly right away. It would also be a mistake to allow our cities to return to times of chaos and dirty air. Nor does it mean that after the block we will all stop using Zoom, watching Netflix or shopping on Amazon.
Most governments around the world have shown that they are unable to cope with the pandemic and the challenges we have faced before, eg. with climate change. We must therefore resist the temptation to go back to the same normality that got us into so much trouble. It would be a historical mistake.
Source: forbes.com.
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