
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Pfizer shares tumbled again Monday, continuing the pharmaceutical giant’s struggles tied to declining demand for its Covid-19 products<strong>&nbsp;</strong>and essentially wiping out the entirety of the firm’s peak pandemic gains.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Pfizer stock slipped 1.6% to $28.96, closing at its lowest share price since March 26, 2020.</p>



<p>After notching record overall revenue and profits in 2022, Pfizer’s luck has run out so far in 2023, reporting a 42% decline through the year’s first nine months and reporting its first quarterly loss since 2019 in its October 31 earnings report.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>$170 billion. That’s how much market capitalization Pfizer has lost since December 2021.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Including dividends, Pfizer has posted a -40% return on investment this year, the 15th-steepest loss of any S&amp;P 500 company. Other pharmaceutical stocks which soared during early development and adoption of Covid treatments have also flailed, including Moderna (down about 80% from its 2021 peak), BioNTech (down about 70% from 2021 peak) and Johnson &amp; Johnson (down nearly 20% from 2021 high). Pfizer’s recent plunge came after the company&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/10/16/vaccine-stocks-including-pfizer-moderna-biontech-and-novavax-slide-amid-plummeting-demand/?sh=5cda962f7099">slashed</a>&nbsp;sales guidance for October 16, with sales for its vaccine down 70% year-over-year and Paxlovid revenues down 95%. Pfizer “finally threw in the towel on the potential for reinvigorated” demand for its two primary Covid products, UBS analyst Colin Bristow wrote in a note to clients last month.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-contra">CONTRA</h2>



<p>It’s not all doom and gloom for pharmaceutical stocks, though the balance of power has shifted. Drug makers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have both climbed more than 70% over the last 12 months as their respective weight loss medications surge in popularity, and the two are now the most valuable pharmaceutical companies in the world by market cap. Pfizer, which was more valuable than both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk at the end of 2021, is now worth less than half of each firm.</p>


Vaccinations at Egoli Township as Omicron Cases Spread

Pfizer Stock Hits 3-Year Low—Down 50% From 2021 Peak


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Stocks of Pfizer and other Covid vaccine makers like BioNTech and Moderna fell in premarket trading Monday after the company slashed its revenue forecasts last week, a change in fortune for the sector as demand for the pandemic-related products that propelled them to record profits last year plummets.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Pfizer shares fell 3.11% during premarket trading on Monday.</p>



<p>Shares of Germany’s BioNTech, which jointly developed the Comirnaty coronavirus shot with Pfizer, were down 6.57% in Frankfurt, falling to a two-month low.</p>



<p>The German biotech’s U.S.-listed shares were also down 6.41% in premarket trading.</p>



<p>Shares of rival mRNA vaccine maker Moderna also fell 4.45% in premarket trading.</p>



<p>Shares of Novavax, which has faced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2e10b2ab-7d0c-48a3-b49b-8de8dc302c6d" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">setbacks</a>&nbsp;in getting its updated protein-based shot approved, were also down 4.54% on Monday.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NEWS PEG</h2>



<p>Pfizer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-lowers-full-year-revenue-forecast-shares-fall-2023-10-13/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slashed</a>&nbsp;its annual revenue&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/78003/000007800323000099/ex99_pressrelease1013.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">forecast</a>&nbsp;by 13% on Friday due to sliding demand for its Covid-19 products. Sales of the firm’s mRNA shot, produced jointly with BioNTech, and its antiviral drug Paxlovid helped it secure record profits last year but the firm has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/01/31/pfizer-expects-covid-vaccine-and-pill-revenues-will-fall-60-in-2023/?sh=2630a7787bee">long</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2022/02/08/pfizer-triggers-28-billion-stock-plunge-moderna-after-warning-covid-vaccine-sales-could-disappoint-this-year/?sh=651151e2e372">warned</a>&nbsp;about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/01/31/pfizer-expects-covid-vaccine-and-pill-revenues-will-fall-60-in-2023/?sh=2630a7787bee">sliding</a>&nbsp;demand as the world, and particularly the U.S., exits the pandemic this year. The company&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/78003/000007800323000099/ex99_pressrelease1013.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cut</a>&nbsp;its projections for Paxlovid by $7 billion and by around $2 billion for its Covid shots, which was greater than analysts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biontech-will-likely-take-900-mln-eur-write-off-pfizer-partnered-vaccines-2023-10-16/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">expected</a>. Pfizer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/13/pfizer-launches-35-billion-cost-cutting-program-amid-declining-covid-vaccine-sales/?sh=7e4fa27016a4">said</a>&nbsp;it was launching a $3.5 billion cost-cutting program covering jobs and expenses as it prepares for the hit to its revenues. Pfizer said it would take a write down of $5.5 billion in the third quarter due to shrinking demand for its Covid stock, most of which comes from inventory write-offs of Paxlovid worth $4.6 billion. The company also acknowledged a $900 million write off from Covid vaccine stock, a write-off BioNTech also&nbsp;<a href="https://investors.biontech.de/news-releases/news-release-details/update-regarding-pfizers-statement-comirnaty-related-write-offs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flagged</a>&nbsp;on Monday on account of its profit sharing agreement with Pfizer.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>Moderna will report its <a href="https://investors.modernatx.com/news/news-details/2023/Moderna-to-Report-Third-Quarter-2023-Financial-Results-on-Thursday-November-2-2023/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quarterly earnings</a> on November 2. While Moderna is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/02/22/moderna-hopes-to-build-on-mrna-tech-used-in-its-covid-shots-by-targeting-genetic-diseases/?sh=6f1fdba02692">leveraging</a> its success during the pandemic to <a href="https://www.modernatx.com/research/product-pipeline" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">develop</a> a wide array of medicines, treatments and vaccines for things including<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/04/11/vaccines-for-lyme-disease-and-norovirus-moderna-working-on-shots-targeting-tick-borne-infection-and-vomiting-bug/?sh=53602af72afe"> Lyme disease</a>, the flu, HIV, RSV, Zika, norovirus and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/02/22/moderna-hopes-to-build-on-mrna-tech-used-in-its-covid-shots-by-targeting-genetic-diseases/?sh=6f1fdba02692">genetic conditions, </a>its Covid-19 vaccines are its only commercial product and it is particularly vulnerable to sliding demand.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/13/pfizer-launches-35-billion-cost-cutting-program-amid-declining-covid-vaccine-sales/?sh=7e4fa27016a4">Pfizer Launches $3.5 Billion Cost-Cutting Program Amid Declining Covid Vaccine Sales</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Florida Volunteers Take Part In COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

Vaccine Stocks—Including Pfizer, Moderna, BioNTech And Novavax—Slide Amid Plummeting Demand


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines work well at preventing symptomatic cases of the delta coronavirus variant—which became the dominant strain in the U.S. this month—but the vaccines’ effectiveness drops significantly in patients who only have one of the two doses, according to a new study.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>A study of 19,000 people from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2108891" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Public Health England</a>&nbsp;published Wednesday found that both doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines help protect against symptoms from both the alpha (B.1.1.7, also known as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/04/07/uk-coronavirus-variant-is-now-the-dominant-strain-in-us-cdc-says/">the U.K. variant</a>) and delta variants at comparable rates.</p>



<p>Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine had an effectiveness of 93.7% at preventing symptomatic alpha infections, and 88% for the delta variant.</p>



<p>Two doses of AstraZeneca were found to be 74.5% effective at preventing symptomatic alpha infections, and 67% for delta.</p>



<p>However, the effectiveness of the vaccines plummeted if a patient had only received one dose of either vaccine: the study found both to be just more than 48% effective against alpha and only about 30% effective against delta.</p>



<p>Researchers said their findings support the theory that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2108891" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prioritizing second doses</a>, especially in vulnerable populations, is an effective way to prevent coronavirus outbreaks.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



<p>The single-dose Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine only has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/07/20/johnson--johnson-vaccine-far-less-effective-against-delta-variant-study-suggests/?sh=44f5e2864299">a 33% efficacy rate</a>&nbsp;against the delta variant, a New York University study released Tuesday suggested, although it has not been peer reviewed.&nbsp;A small study from Moderna last month suggested their vaccine also&nbsp;<a href="https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-provides-clinical-update-neutralizing-activity-its-covid" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">offers protection</a>&nbsp;against the delta strain.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>The delta variant, which experts believe is more transmissible than earlier forms of coronavirus, is thought to be the driving force behind <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/07/17/covid-hospitalizations-rise-nationwide-amid-delta-surge---especially-in-these-states/?sh=290e647e52a8">a new wave of infections</a> and a jump in hospitalizations across the U.S. Experts have warned about the danger delta could pose. Former Food and Drug Administration head Dr. Scott Gottlieb said the “majority” of unvaccinated Americans would likely contract the delta mutation eventually, adding the disease “is going to be the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/07/18/former-fda-head-says-delta-will-infect-majority-of-unvaccinated-americans-and-may-be-most-serious-virus-in-their-lifetime/?sh=22ee15f06b17">most serious virus</a> they will get in their lifetime in terms of the risk of putting them in the hospital.” The surge of new cases has pushed some cities like <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/graisondangor/2021/07/15/los-angeles-reportedly-will-reinstate-mask-mandate-saturday/?sh=7b879fb45373">Los Angeles</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/07/21/delta-fueled-covid-surge-spurs-new-mask-mandates---here-are-the-states-where-they-cant-legally-be-reimposed/?sh=6be7887c37b4">Las Vegas</a> to reintroduce mandatory masking in some indoor spaces.</p>



<p><strong><em>By Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


A doctor’s hand with a syringe of covid-19 coronavirus vaccine.

Study Finds Pfizer And AstraZeneca Vaccines Effective Against The Delta Variant — As Long As You Get Both Doses


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong>: Pfizer has struck a deal with a South African drug manufacturer to begin producing and distributing its coronavirus vaccine in Africa for the first time, the company announced Wednesday, in a move that follows mounting pressure to address inequalities in the global vaccine rollout.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>Pfizer&nbsp;<a href="https://investors.biontech.de/news-releases/news-release-details/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-collaboration-biovac-manufacture" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;it will be working with South Africa’s Biovac Institute, a public-private partnership focused on vaccine production, to produce and distribute over 100 million doses a year for the African Union beginning in 2022.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Biovac will be shipped batches of vaccine ingredients from Europe and then will perform so-called fill and finish operations, the last stage of manufacturing and packaging, according to a press release from the company.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Though technical transfer, on-site development and equipment installation activities will begin immediately, the company said manufacturing of the finished doses will only begin in 2022.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“At full operational capacity, the annual production will exceed 100 million finished doses annually,” which will be distributed within the 55 member states making up the African Union, the company said.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quotes">CRUCIAL QUOTES</h3>



<p>Pfizer CEO Andrew Bourla, who is set to give a speech later Wednesday at the World Trade Organization Summit, deemed the partnership progress toward the company’s goal of providing “fair and equitable” access to the vaccine “to everyone, everywhere.” Meanwhile, Biovac CEO Dr. Morena Makhoana lauded it as a “critical step forward.” “We believe this collaboration will create opportunity to more broadly distribute vaccine doses to people in harder-to-reach communities, especially those on the African continent,” said Makhoana.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND&nbsp;</h3>



<p>The pace of vaccinations in Africa is running far behind the rest of the world. Just over 1.5% of Africans have been fully vaccinated, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making the continent’s goal of having 20% of its population vaccinated by the end of 2021 increasingly unlikely. This is largely due to a lack of African-based vaccine manufacturing facilities. The continent was relying on the World Health Organization-backed COVAX effort for its doses. However, COVAX has fallen far behind schedule, having delivered only 200 million doses since February (the U.S. has administered 338 million), in part because of the troubles of its biggest supplier, the Serum Institute of India.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR&nbsp;</h3>



<p>Africa’s rollout is lagging at a time when the more infectious delta variant is driving a record surge of cases. Earlier this month, the continent reported its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/world/africa-coronavirus-cases-who.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“worst pandemic week ever”</a>&nbsp;after 16 countries saw a resurgence in infections, amounting to over 250,000 cases reported in just one week.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING&nbsp;</h3>



<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/07/16/world/africa/africa-vaccination-rollout.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“Africa’s Covid Crisis Deepens, but Vaccines Are Still Far Off”</a> (The New York Times)</p>



<p><em><strong>By Jemima McEvoy, Forbes Staff</strong></em></p>


US-HEALTH-VIRUS-VACCINE

Pfizer Strikes Deal To Produce Vaccines In Africa As Continent Falls Far Behind In Covid Fight


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Pfizer and BioNTech said Thursday that research shows taking a third dose of their vaccine as a booster protects even more against Covid-19, including the Delta variant, and will ask the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization for the shot within the next several weeks.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>A study not yet released by the companies shows that a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine six months after the second dose protected people against the original strain of Covid-19 as well as the Beta variant.</p>



<p>After six months, the companies’ two-dose vaccine loses some of its ability to protect against getting Covid-19 and developing symptoms, although it continues to work well against preventing severe Covid-19, the companies said, referencing data from their studies and from the health ministry in Israel, which has a highly vaccinated population and has recently seen a wave of the Delta variant spread.</p>



<p>After taking the booster shot, antibodies against the original and Beta variants were “five to 10 times higher,” the companies said in a press release.</p>



<p>The companies believe a booster shot would also increase protection against the Delta variant based on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03693-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a&nbsp;<em>Nature</em>&nbsp;study</a>&nbsp;which they said suggests that the two-dose vaccine is effective against the variant.</p>



<p>Pfizer and BioNTech in August will launch a trial of a vaccine specifically targeting the Delta variant.</p>



<p>The companies said they will send the data to the FDA “in the coming weeks” for its application for emergency authorization and that they will publish the data in a peer-reviewed journal.</p>



<p>They will also send the data to the European Medicines Agency, which regulates drugs in the European Union, and “in discussion with EU and other regions” about emergency authorizations, a spokesperson said.</p>



<p>A separate study published Thursday in&nbsp;<em>JAMA Oncology</em>&nbsp;found the vaccine was found to be&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2781608?guestAccessKey=a006b52c-6abf-414d-b0b9-b57946450d20&amp;utm_source=For_The_Media&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=ftm_links&amp;utm_content=tfl&amp;utm_term=070821" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">safe for cancer patients</a>, although most didn’t develop antibodies until after their second dose, and 14% didn’t develop the antibodies at all.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



<p>The FDA, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/development-approval-process-cber" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in charge</a>&nbsp;of approving vaccines,&nbsp;<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E50SoxnXEAMvs9c.png" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">released a statement</a>&nbsp;with the CDC Thursday night that appeared to respond to Pfizer and BioNTech’s news. “Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time,” it said. Both agencies and the National Institutes of Health, the statement continued, are researching “whether or when a booster might be necessary.”&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>Whether booster shots work, and how well, is important because scientists expect that vaccines will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/06/15/when-will-you-need-a-covid-booster-shot-pfizer-monitors-breakthrough-infections-as-experts-say-more-data-is-needed/?sh=1068ed587f69">lose strength over time</a>. Because the pace of vaccination is so unequal—globally, just&nbsp;<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-people-vaccinated-covid?time=2020-12-02..2021-07-07&amp;country=~OWID_WRL" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">one in four people</a>&nbsp;have received at least one vaccine dose; in the U.S.,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/07/08/at-least-15-states-wont-reach-70-vaccination-goal-until-2022-or-even-later-at-current-pace/?sh=46a2691532b8">at least 15 states</a>&nbsp;are not on pace to partially or fully vaccinate 70% of residents until 2022—some people are likely to need booster shots before others get their first dose.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<p><a href="https://investors.biontech.de/news-releases/news-release-details/pfizer-and-biontech-provide-update-booster-program-light-delta" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pfizer and BioNTech Provide Update on Booster Program in Light of the Delta-Variant</a>&nbsp;<em>(BioNTech)</em></p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/05/18/96-of-people-develop-covid-antibodies-after-just-one-shot-of-pfizer-or-astrazeneca-vaccine-uk-study-finds/?sh=30b7f66699b9">96% Of People Develop Covid Antibodies After Just One Shot Of Pfizer Or AstraZeneca Vaccine, UK Study Finds</a>&nbsp;<em>(Forbes)</em>&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/06/15/when-will-you-need-a-covid-booster-shot-pfizer-monitors-breakthrough-infections-as-experts-say-more-data-is-needed/?sh=1068ed587f69">When Will You Need A Covid Booster Shot? Pfizer Monitors Breakthrough Infections As Experts Say More Data Is Needed</a>&nbsp;<em>(Forbes)</em></p>



<p><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-people-vaccinated-covid?time=2020-12-02..2021-07-07&amp;country=~OWID_WRL" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Share of people who received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine</a> <em>(Our World In Data)</em></p>



<p><strong><em>By Graison Dangor, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


TOPSHOT-US-HEALTH-VIRUS-STOCKS

Pfizer Will Ask FDA To Authorize Third Covid-19 Shot As A Booster


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong>: Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is significantly less effective at preventing infection with the Delta variant than previous strains of coronavirus, data from Israel’s health ministry suggests, the latest setback as countries around the world fight to contain the hyper-contagious form of Covid-19 driving outbreaks among children and young people. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>A full course of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 64% effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19, according to an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/rJQ1O5kp00#autoplay" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">early study&nbsp;</a>by Israel’s health ministry&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-05/israel-sees-decline-in-pfizer-vaccine-efficacy-rate-ynet-says" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;Monday, much&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e7147144-11ff-45bc-96f1-236380c9df5d" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lower</a>&nbsp;than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-says-covid-vaccine-highly-effective-against-delta-variant-2021-06-24/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previous</a>&nbsp;estimates of nearly 90%.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The vaccine still appears to be highly effective, 93%, at preventing serious illness and hospitalization, the data shows, though this is also slightly lower than earlier studies suggested and for other variants.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Biotech firm Moderna, which is based on the same type of technology as Pfizer’s jab,&nbsp;<a href="https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-provides-clinical-update-neutralizing-activity-its-covid" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;its vaccine remains effective against the Delta variant and that blood samples from fully vaccinated individuals&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/06/30/1011684609/moderna-says-studies-show-its-vaccine-is-effective-against-the-delta-variant" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">show</a>&nbsp;only a “modest reduction” in antibodies.</p>



<p>Early studies&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/07/01/1012372893/johnson-johnsons-covid-vaccine-is-effective-against-the-delta-variant-studies-fi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">indicate</a>&nbsp;the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine, the third authorized for use in the U.S., is also effective against the variant, the company said, generating immunity lasting for at least eight months.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Studies from the U.K., where Delta accounts for practically all new cases of Covid-19,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-14/delta-variant-doubles-risk-of-covid-hospitalization-in-study" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">found</a>&nbsp;the AstraZeneca vaccine to be about 60% effective at preventing symptomatic disease and around 90% effective at preventing hospitalization, a modest drop compared to the Alpha variant that previously dominated.</p>



<p>In vaccines requiring two shots—which covers all mentioned here bar the one-shot Johnson &amp; Johnson—research consistently indicates a much lower level of protection from just one shot,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/06/30/cdc-wont-change-mask-guidelines-as-delta-variant-spreads-director-says/?sh=bad30f25e75f">underscoring</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/fauci-vaccination-covid-rates-two-americas-5547f8cd-743a-4789-96bc-10782f967b2c.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">entreaties</a>&nbsp;from public health officials for Americans to get vaccinated.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-contra">CONTRA</h3>



<p>The data and research covering how effective vaccines are against Delta are new and, in some instances, incomplete, something that reflects the speed at which Delta has spread. For example, Israel’s health ministry has not revealed the data or the methodology it used to obtain its results and the studies from both Moderna and Johnson &amp; Johnson only looked at how blood samples from a very small number of people behaved in a laboratory setting. Until more data is gathered in a transparent and verifiable way, the figures and results should not be seen as conclusive. The U.K. is likely to prove an invaluable source of information for other countries dealing with the variant as it is facing a new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/06/14/delta-variant-fueling-uk-covid-surge-could-become-dominant-us-strain-here-are-the-places-most-at-risk/?sh=66a089d04e31">wave</a>&nbsp;of cases&nbsp;<a href="https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-delta-variant-cases-up-46-in-a-week-as-expert-warns-mutant-strain-will-hit-uk-soon-12347040" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">driven</a>&nbsp;almost entirely by Delta, especially as it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57725523" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prepares</a>&nbsp;to lift all pandemic restrictions.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h3>



<p>47%. That’s how much of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19,&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the CDC. Around 83 million have received a full course of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, 61 million the Moderna vaccine and 12 million the one-shot Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine. 72,000 people have been fully vaccinated with a two-dose vaccine, though records do not show which.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>Health experts, including at the CDC, believe it is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/06/18/cdc-head-says-dangerous-delta-variant-likely-to-be-dominant-covid-strain-heres-where-its-spreading-fastest/?sh=68f212c86ff5">likely</a>&nbsp;the Delta variant will become the dominant strain in the U.S. It already accounts for around one in four cases of Covid-19,&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to the CDC, and is already the dominant form of the virus in two regions the agency measures (making up around 50-60% of cases in an area covering Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming). Though the WHO recommends all people to keep wearing masks&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/06/25/who-urges-fully-vaccinated-people-to-continue-wearing-masks-as-delta-variant-spreads-but-no-word-from-cdc/?sh=79f3bb9241f9">regardless</a>&nbsp;of their vaccination status, the CDC has not&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/06/30/cdc-wont-change-mask-guidelines-as-delta-variant-spreads-director-says/?sh=863b6855e75f">changed</a>&nbsp;its guidance, recommending people get vaccinated to protect themselves and for local officials to institute their own measures if needed. Few areas have shown signs of doing this and the country&#8217;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/02/the-least-vaccinated-states-also-earn-the-least-an-analysis-of-data-shows/?sh=6ef093331f5b">low</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/06/30/here-are-the-groups-that-still-wont-get-the-covid-vaccine-and-why/?sh=3550d46d2ad4">uneven</a>&nbsp;vaccination&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/07/04/32-states-didnt-hit-bidens-july-4-vaccine-goal-these-were-the-furthest-from-it/?sh=41ce764132cd">rates</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. has prompted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/fauci-vaccination-covid-rates-two-americas-5547f8cd-743a-4789-96bc-10782f967b2c.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fears</a>&nbsp;the variant will drive new waves of cases in poorly vaccinated areas, especially as practically all pandemic restrictions have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/07/01/just-one-state-is-left-to-fully-reopen-heres-what-it-is-waiting-for/?sh=777f13d45f33">dropped</a>.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h3>



<p>Most pharmaceutical companies—including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/05/19/astrazenecas-covid-shot-reportedly-works-well-as-a-booster-raising-hopes-in-battle-against-virus-variants/?sh=409a27ea5870">AstraZeneca</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissaholzberg/2021/05/04/pfizer-will-file-for-full-fda-approval-for-covid-19-vaccine-by-end-of-may/?sh=21bf069124c0">Pfizer</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/leahrosenbaum/2021/04/29/moderna-invests-to-make-3-billion-covid-vaccines-by-2022/?sh=5d3bade0ac6a">Moderna</a>—are already working on Covid-19 booster shots, which could top up fading immunity over time and give added protection against new variants of the virus. It’s not yet clear&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/06/15/when-will-you-need-a-covid-booster-shot-pfizer-monitors-breakthrough-infections-as-experts-say-more-data-is-needed/?sh=5a11d8ae7f69">when a booster&nbsp;</a>might be needed. There are also a number of trials&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/06/mix-and-match-covid-booster-jabs-may-be-offered-in-uk-vaccine-autumn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exploring</a>&nbsp;what&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/04/johnson-johnson-vaccine-second-dose/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vaccine</a>&nbsp;should be used as a booster and whether it would be more effective to “mix and match” different kinds.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/02/kids-among-most-vulnerable-to-infectious-delta-variant---heres-why-you-should-be-more-worried/?sh=ba4417927011">Kids Among Most Vulnerable To Infectious Delta Variant — Here’s Why You Should Be More Worried</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/06/18/cdc-head-says-dangerous-delta-variant-likely-to-be-dominant-covid-strain-heres-where-its-spreading-fastest/?sh=32c085616ff5">CDC Head Says Dangerous Delta Variant Likely To Be Dominant Covid Strain. Here’s Where It’s Spreading Fastest.</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/07/3-principles-now-define-pandemic/619336/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The 3 Simple Rules That Underscore the Danger of Delta</a>&nbsp;(The Atlantic)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/06/11/here-are-the-biggest-groups-that-are-still-refusing-the-covid-19-vaccine-poll-finds/?sh=5c30db3c42cc">Here Are The Biggest Groups That Are Still Refusing The Covid-19 Vaccine, Poll Finds</a> (Forbes)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Pfizer-BioNTech

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