BNT162b2

Why in news?

• Pfizer and the German biotech firm BioNTech reported on Monday in a press release that their joint Covid-19 vaccine candidate, BNT162b2, is more than 90 percent effective at preventing infection.

About BNT162b2:

• BNT162b2 is a COVID-19 vaccine candidate under evaluation in Phase III clinical trials during 2020.
• The vaccination requires two doses given three weeks apart.
• On 9 November, interim analysis of 94 research participants who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 showed the vaccine candidate was 90% effective in preventing infection seven days after the second dose.
• BioNTech is the original developer of the vaccine while global pharmaceuticals giant, Pfizer is one of the manufacturing partners.
• BNT162b2 is a single nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) vaccine candidate made of a short segment of genetic material — the messenger RNA — which provides instructions for a human cell to make a harmless version of a target protein, in this case the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, in order to activate an immune response against the protein.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Which of the following terms, recently in news, are Covid-19 vaccines:
1.Sputnik V
2.Covishield
3.Lunar-COV19
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a)1 and 2 only
(b)2 and 3 only
(c)1 and 3 only
(d)1,2, and 3

Answer to prelims question