• The first doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, if granted emergency use authorization by the US FDA, will shipped in mid-December, via special coolers filled with dry ice that hold at least 975 doses each. These will go to healthcare workers- and possibly, some members of vulnerable groups – in all 50 states. From then on, the vaccine will be shipped in weekly batches, reaching 40 million doses by the end of 2020. Source
• Russia’s Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) issues an initial press release reporting 91.4% efficacy (seven days after the second dose) of its coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, based on an interim review of data from a 40,000-person, phase III trial. But there was no information on how many study participants had received both vaccine doses or on the number of COVID-19 cases among trial participants. Sputnik V was registered on 8 November; trials are ongoing in several countries, including Belarus, Brazil, China, India, South Korea, the UAE and Venezuela. Sources 1,2,3,4
• RDIF issues another press release with additional data on Sputnik V’s efficacy, based on 18,794 people who were given either the vaccine (14,095) or placebo (4,699); there were 8 coronavirus cases among people who received Sputnik V, versus 31 among those given placebo – which the press release claimed amounts to an efficacy rate over 95%, with no adverse events. Source
• RDIF announces that Sputnik V will be priced at less than $10 per dose (and provided to Russian citizens at no charge). The vaccine will be available in a dry formulation, which can be stored at +2 to +8 degrees Celsius. The company expects to produce enough doses for 500 million people, beginning in 2021, with the first deliveries in January. Source
• Bulgaria is dealing with one of Europe’s highest coronavirus death rates; people are dying while waiting to be admitted to the hospital. Source
