[국제]EU secures half of Pfizer vaccine production…”Effects for Pfizer vaccine mutations”

[앵커]

The European Union and the EU have announced that they have agreed to purchase an additional 300 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and German Bioentech.

Early research also shows that Pfizer’s corona vaccine is also effective against mutant viruses that spread in the UK and South Africa.

Reporter Kang Seong-ok reports

[기자]

Executive Chairman Ursula Fonderaien, head of the European Union’s EU administration, stood at a press conference with a bright expression.

Pfizer-Bioentech announced that it has signed an additional vaccine purchase contract.

[우르줄라 폰데어라이엔 / EU 집행위원장 : 화이자 바이오엔테크와 3억 도즈 분량의 추가 계약을 맺었다는 좋은 소식을 전합니다.]

Accordingly, the EU has been able to secure 600 million Pfizer-Bioentech vaccines on behalf of 27 member states, including 300 million existing contracts.

This amount represents almost half of Pfizer and Bioentech’s vaccine production this year, Reuters reported.

Pfizer said it could produce up to 1.3 billion doses worldwide this year.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is also effective against mutant viruses originating in the UK and South Africa.

According to the Associated Press, Pfizer got these results in a joint study with Texas Medical School.

However, the results are limited to early laboratory studies and have not yet been verified by experts, the AP said.

But Philip Dormidcher, who heads vaccine research at Pfizer, said he was relieved to discover that these two mutant viruses would not be an issue for vaccine efficacy.

He added that if the virus mutates and eventually needs to be adjusted for the corona 19 vaccine like the flu vaccine, it is not difficult to change the recipe.

This is YTN Kang Seong-ok.

[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]