Well we think this is the news we have all been waiting for! A vaccine for Covid-19 has been developed by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech and is in fact one of 11 vaccines that are currently in the final stages of testing.
This Vaccine Could Be A Game-Changer
The reason why this looks like it could well be a game-changer is that early results have shown that it could prevent more than 90% of people from getting the coronavirus. The companies are now going to apply for emergency approval to begin using this vaccine and it is even believed a limited amount of people could well be able to have the vaccine before the end of the year.
So although this year and indeed Christmas could well prove challenging for the general public and all businesses, fingers crossed the vaccine could start getting rolled out to the general population sometime early next year.
Good News For The Economy
This is the first piece of good news we have had for the economy for a long, long time. We should not get carried away just yet but it gives businesses in Northern Ireland the motivation to hang on in there until the new year where things might just begin to return to some form of normality if this vaccine proves to be effective in the fight against Covid-19.
Follow The Existing Rules As This Is Not Over Yet
It is vital that people still stay safe in the meantime and follow the rules in regard to wearing masks and keeping a distance. Health secretary Matt Hancock said this on BBC Breakfast, copied from the BBC News website:
“We still appeal this morning for people’s patience, firstly to follow existing rules, because this is still a deadly disease and this is not over yet.
“Even once we start to roll it out, we still need to look after ourselves, look after our community by following the rules and being careful to stop the spread of transmission.
“The NHS is ready, we’re prepared, I’ve put in the extra £150m today, the GPs are ready, we’re working with the pharmacists, the hospitals are going to play a very important role,” he said.
Asked how many people would need to be vaccinated before life can return to normal, he said: “Well the answer to that is we just don’t know.
“So the trials can tell you if a vaccine is clinically safe and if it’s effective at protecting an individual from the disease. What we can’t know, until we’ve vaccinated a significant proportion of the population, is how much it stops the transmission of the disease.”
It is nice to be able to write about some positive news for once, we need to stay cautious of course, but it is certainly something to hang on to and make us feel more buoyant about the medium and long term future.
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