Pfizer Covid vaccine findings must be understood in more detail, expert says
10 November 2020, 19:02
Pfizer Covid vaccine findings must be understood in more detail, expert says
This is the moment an expert in vaccines told LBC that Pfizer's Covid vaccine findings still need to be understood in more detail.
Dr Katrina Pollock, who is a Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Vaccinology at Imperial College London, made the comments in light of preliminary findings from Pfizer which suggest their vaccine is more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told LBC that the Government "will be ready" to roll out a new coronavirus vaccine should it become available.
Speaking of Pfizer's preliminary findings to LBC's Eddie Mair, Dr Pollock said: "I think this is encouraging news for Covid vaccines in general."
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When asked by Eddie if the data could potentially let people down, she said: "It's very important that we do see that data. What they've already published does look encouraging.
"So I think it's good news and I think what it means is that it's certainly possible for the whole field that we may have a vaccine that is going to be effective against Covid disease.
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"But we need to really unpick the complexity of what that means. How effective will a particular vaccine be against infection? Will it stop transmission? Is it going to work in older people?
"All of those questions, we still need to understand in much more detail."
