BioNTech expects results by September from trials testing the company’s vaccine, which it developed alongside Pfizer, in babies as young as six months old, CEO Ugur Sahin said.
Spain’s Reig Jofre will step in to help manufacture Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine at its new facility in Barcelona.
Moderna said it will now be able to make up to 3 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 and at least 800 million this year, up from 700 million, thanks to a boost in its manufacturing capacity.
The worldwide case count stood at more than 149 million on Thursday morning, with more than 3.1 million reported deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Please read below for the latest updates. Daily COVID-19 tracker entries from Nov. 2 to April 28 can be found here. Entries from Aug. 11 to Oct. 30 are here. Entries from April 21 through Aug. 11 are here. Entries from Jan. 30 through April 20 are here.
UPDATED: Thursday, April 29 at 9:25 a.m.
Moderna said it’s ramping up its vaccine manufacturing and will boost its supply estimates as a result. The biotech said it’s now able to make up to 3 billion doses in 2022 and raised its bottom forecast this year from 700 million doses to 800 million. The company also announced that new data shows its vaccine can be safely stored at refrigerated temperatures for up to three months. Story
BioNTech’s CEO Ugur Sahin said he expects results by September from trials testing the company’s mRNA vaccine, developed alongside Pfizer, in babies as young as six months old, Reuters reports, citing an interview Sahin conducted German magazine Spiegel. Results from trials testing the vaccine in kids between the ages of five and 12 will be available in July, Sahin said.
Spanish pharmaceutical company Reig Jofre will begin manufacturing doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the second quarter. At the company’s new plant in Barcelona, Reig said it will be able to produce as many as 250 million doses annually.
French prosecutors have opened an involuntary manslaughter probe into three deaths among recipients of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, AFP reports. The prosecutors, who are taking over and combining three local cases, haven’t charged any entity or individual yet. According to the prosecutor’s office, plaintiffs are trying to determine whether the vaccine caused the deaths of their loved ones.
Roche said it’s seeking a fast-tracked emergency authorization for its COVID-19 antibody cocktail, a combination of casirivimab with imdevimab, in India and can begin supplying the country with the drug immediately once given the OK, the Business Standard reports. Roche is also expanding production of its arthritis med Actemra, which has shown mixed results in treating COVID-19 patients.
