• The US reaches 250,000 coronavirus deaths, as experts predict the daily death toll could exceed 2,000 people per day. Source
• Pfizer issues a press release with new data from its phase III coronavirus vaccine trial, saying that BNT162b2 is 95 percent effective overall and 94 percent effective in older adults. There were 170 cases of COVID-19 among study participants – 10 of which were severe. Overall, 8 cases- one of which was severe – occurred in the vaccine group versus 162 – nine of them severe – in the placebo group. Overall, the vaccine was well-tolerated; the incidence of severe side effects was 3.8 percent for fatigue and 2 percent for headache (after the second dose). The company plans to apply to the US FDA for an EUA within days. Source
• China launches a phase III trial of an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biologic Pharmacy and the Institute of Microbiology, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Additional trials will be launched next month in Uzbekistan, and trials are planned in Ecuador, Indonesia and Pakistan in the coming months, reaching a total of 29,000 study participants. Source
