London: As the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic amid the origin of newer and potentially lethal strains, the lead scientist of the world’s first approved coronavirus vaccine has cautioned that the lethal virus will be here for several years to come.
BioNTech CEO and lead researcher of the Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine Ugur Sahin said “the virus will stay with us for the next 10 years. We need to get used to the fact there’ll be more outbreaks.” He added that the world now needs a new definition of ‘normal’.
Sahin noted that 60-70 per cent of the world’s population needs to be inoculated to prevent further Covid-19 outbreaks, the Wion report added.
When asked when life could return to normal, he said “we need a new definition of normal. The virus will stay with us for the next 10 years,” he told media persons.
US-based Pfizer has tied up with Germany’s BioNTech to produce a coronavirus vaccine that was developed and approved within a year. The vaccine came under scrutiny after some healthcare staff who took it reported allergic reactions.
