A Nigerian-born researcher is one of those leading the research at Pfizer for a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.
Onyema Ogbuagu who is an Associate Professor of medicine at Yale University has dispelled misconceptions concerning the COVID-19 vaccine noting that there is no sinister plan in the development of the vaccine.
Speaking concerning some misconceptions about the vaccine, in a series on Tweet on his official handle, he said misinformation about the pandemic may lead to loss of lives.
Ogbuagu’s in a series of Tweets Let’s dispel some rumors especially because misinformation about COVID-19 may and can cost lives. Enough already!
Vaccine efficacy results are real. They were not delayed to hurt or help any politician.
The Pfizer vaccine doesn’t contain the SARS CoV-2 virus or parts of it!
No nefarious or sinister plan to inject people with a labeling code. The mRNA vaccine is not integrated into recipient’s genome.
No fetal tissue is used for the mRNA vaccine.
And No!…researchers such as myself are not part of any conspiracies.
We just want to apply science to improve patient outcomes and even better, to prevent disease.
We can only work our way out of this pandemic through effective vaccines especially because it is difficult to achieve optimal mask-wearing and physical distancing to end the pandemic.
Think of how vaccines have made deadly diseases either go away (smallpox) or become relatively rare (such as measles).
When the “COVID” vaccine becomes available, let’s roll up our sleeves and let’s end this thing!
Another challenge would be the equitable distribution of vaccines.
High vs. low/middle-income countries, and even in developed nations, to ensure that vulnerable and underserved populations, disproportionally affected by the pandemic are proportionally reached!
Now is time for strategic distribution plans at global, national, and community level.
Pfizer and BioNTech had announced that a completed study shows that their experimental COVID-19 vaccine is 95 percent effective.
“The study results mark an important step in this historic eight-month journey to bring forward a vaccine capable of helping to end this devastating pandemic,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said during the announcement
Pfizer was quoted as saying it would be able to supply 50 million doses by the end of 2020, and around 1.3 billion by the end of 2021.
Ogbuagu is an associate Professor of Medicine, in the clinician-educator track and Director of the HIV Clinical Trials program of the Yale AIDS Program, Section of Infectious Diseases of the Yale School of Medicine.
