Pfizer Covid vaccine findings must be understood in more detail, expert says

10 November 2020, 19:02

This is the moment an expert in vaccines told LBC that Pfizer's Covid vaccine findings still need to be understood in more detail.

Dr Katrina Pollock, who is a Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Vaccinology at Imperial College London, made the comments in light of preliminary findings from Pfizer which suggest their vaccine is more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told LBC that the Government "will be ready" to roll out a new coronavirus vaccine should it become available.

Speaking of Pfizer's preliminary findings to LBC's Eddie Mair, Dr Pollock said: "I think this is encouraging news for Covid vaccines in general."

When asked by Eddie if the data could potentially let people down, she said: "It's very important that we do see that data. What they've already published does look encouraging.

"So I think it's good news and I think what it means is that it's certainly possible for the whole field that we may have a vaccine that is going to be effective against Covid disease.

"But we need to really unpick the complexity of what that means. How effective will a particular vaccine be against infection? Will it stop transmission? Is it going to work in older people?

"All of those questions, we still need to understand in much more detail."