Over a month and a half before the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic, BioNTech CEO Uğur Şahin met with his wife, BioNTech’s co-founder and chief medical officer Özlem Türeci, and together they agreed to redirect most of the company’s resources to developing a vaccine. Up until that point, BioNTech was little-known internationally and primarily focused on developing novel cancer treatments. The founders were confident in the potential of their mRNA technology, which they knew could trigger a powerful immune response. That confidence wasn’t necessarily shared by the broader medical community. No mRNA vaccine or treatment had ever been approved before. But the couple’s timely breakthrough was actually decades in the making. CNBC spoke with Şahin and Türeci about how they, along with Pfizer, created a Covid-19 vaccine using mRNA.
Tag Archives: Covid-19 Analysis
Analysis: Covid-19 Vaccine Efficacy Explained (Video)
Recent studies have shown that the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines is decreasing, though experts say the shots still work well. WSJ explains what the numbers mean and why they don’t tell the full story. Photo illustration: Jacob Reynolds/WSJ
Analysis: The Cognitive Effects Of Covid-19
Covid-19 is complex. It can affect the nervous system, leading to language disorders, strokes and seizures. Scientists are still trying to understand why. 75% of people hospitalised with the virus continue to suffer from secondary symptoms at least six months after they recover. Many find it hard to function in their daily lives. Researchers hope understanding Covid’s impact on the brain could pave a way for treatment.
Analysis: Vaccinating The World, Israel-Palestinian Clash, Musical Plagarism
A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week: ten million reasons to vaccinate the world, Israel and the Palestinians (9:48) and musical plagiarism (15:35).
Healthcare: The Costs Of ‘Long-Covid’ Treatment
Covid-19 is a particularly vicious disease. While a significant number of people remain asymptomatic, other patients could go on to develop what researchers are calling post-Covid-19 syndrome. Americans suffering from the condition are running into financial problems due to the inconsistent nature of the U.S. health-care system. CNBC spoke with three people about their experience battling Covid and paying for their treatment. Watch the video above to learn how coronavirus treatment costs add up long after patients leave the hospital.
Video timeline: 0:00 – Introduction 1:40 – What the data says 3:28 – In for the long haul 7:40 – Government assistance 9:12 – What’s next?
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