This week, the Trump administration announced a $1.95 billion contract with Pfizer and the smaller German biotechnology company BioNTech for up to 600 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. The companies are on track to manufacture the first 100 million doses by December. However, Operation Warp Speed vaccination means that much of the trial process will be fast-tracked, and it would require emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
In a poll of about 650 global Sermo physicians, 80% responded they were worried that many people will refuse a vaccine that is so new to the market, with fast-tracked safety trials. In regards to the vaccine itself, 57% feel somewhat or very confident that the vaccine will prove viable and effective, while 42% feel skeptical of the vaccine or believe it’s too early to make an opinion. However, the news of the potential vaccine brings optimism—83% of physicians responded that it gives them hope for fighting this pandemic.
With this vaccine being an American contract, 56% of physicians fear it will not be readily available to the rest of the world. Here’s more of what Sermo doctors are saying on this topic:
