World's First Covid Vaccine Manufacturer Hints 'New Vaccine' May Be Required By Next Year

BioNTech SE Chief Executive Officer Ugur Sahin said new strains will emerge that can evade booster shots and the body’s immune defenses.

New Delhi: At a time when the threat of Covid-19 still looms large, BioNTech SE Chief Executive Officer Ugur Sahin, which developed the first Covid-19 vaccine along with Pfizer said a new formula will likely be required by mid-2022 to protect against future virus mutations.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Ugur Sahin said the current variants of Covid-19 including the contagious Delta strain were not different enough to undermine current vaccinations. However, new strains will emerge that can evade booster shots and the body’s immune defenses.

“This year (a different vaccine) is completely unneeded, but by mid-next year, it could be a different situation," he said. “This is a continuous evolution, and that evolution has just started. This virus will stay, and the virus will further adapt," he added.

BioNTech has developed the Covid-19 vaccine in partnership with US pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer Inc.

In September, the companies submitted initial data to US regulators on vaccine dosage for children aged 5 to 11. This brings the pharma company a step closer to the race to develop shots for school-age kids.

The announcement has offered hope to parents in the United States who are already worried that a return to in-person schooling has put children at risk of infection.

While stating that the US is able to manage its latest surge in cases, Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, urged more Americans to get vaccinated after the pandemic death toll passed 700,000.

Fauci said that while the full-vaccination rate has reached 55 percent, the key risk is the 70 million eligible people in the US who haven’t gotten a shot.