Pfizer, CDC probing death of Florida doctor who took COVID-19 vaccine

Switzerland has been a second-wave coronavirus hotspot, with infections totalling some 500,000 and deaths rising by dozens daily to more than 7 500.

Mr Biden received the first dose of the vaccine at the end of December, and did so on live television, stating he was doing so in order to prove to Americans that it is safe.

Ontario is expected to receive more than 1 million doses while Manitoba will get more than 101,000 doses. The levels of these antibodies stayed stable for at least 71 days, they reported.

The federal government announced today that it has secured an additional 20-million doses of Pfizer's vaccine against COVID-19. Both were about 95% effective in preventing symptomatic disease in their Phase 3 trials.

The Swiss drug regulator Swissmedic's decision comes days after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the green light to Moderna's vaccine.

Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Johnson & Johnson logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020.

"Backed by the vaccine's strong presence in the global community, the company has already signed advance purchase agreements (APAs) worth $11.7 billion with customer deposits of $2.81 billion for future supplies in 2021", Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said at the 2021 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

"That point came so close to the final analysis that we decided not to do an interim analysis", Stoffels said.

Like the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, Moderna's vaccine requires two injections spaced out over several weeks to reach maximum effectiveness although it can be stored at refrigerator temperatures while the other needs to be kept at -72 degrees Celsius, about -161.6 Fahrenheit all during the distribution chain.

"If we can address them now, when most of the world has yet to receive the vaccine, we have the chance to make our response to the vaccine quicker, more robust and lasting". Johnson & Johnson is contracted to deliver 100 million doses to the United States government if it wins EUA from the FDA.

But the company is facing unexpected delays in the manufacturing of its jab and may not be able to supply as many doses it promised the US government by spring, reported The New York Times.