Meet the Nigerian Doctor Leading Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Development

-


Onyema Ogbuagu is a Nigerian-born researcher and medical doctor who has spent his career investigating some of the world’s most pervasive infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and Ebola, just to name a couple.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Ogbuagu’s ground-breaking research in the field of modified genetic code has catapulted him into the public eye, as he is one of the brains behind the research at Pfizer for the potential world’s first effective coronavirus vaccine.

Some of the fastest vaccines ever developed took at least four years. However, scientists are now racing to develop one for coronavirus under a year.

Dozens of research teams around the world are working to develop a coronavirus vaccine using a mix of established techniques and new technologies.

Funding for a vaccine has never been greater, with billions of dollars pouring in from around the world to make a product that could help to control the pandemic.

There has been a growing optimism after leading drug giants Pfizer and Moderna said preliminary late-stage trial data showed their vaccines were more than 90 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19.

In a historical development that could very well define his career, Nigerian-born Mr Ogbuagu is among the lead researchers developing the Pfizer vaccine.

The vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised. Pfizer was quoted as saying it would be able to supply 50 million doses by the end of 2020, and around 1.3 billion by the end of 2021.

According to a BBC report, Mr Onyeama said that the efficacy of the drug is as real as it was announced, noting that “it should be noted that when administered, the result is 94% effective among adults that are 65 years old.”

Credit: Premium Times

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Picture: Fred and Kante Breaks the Internet With This Picture

-
Image
Manchester United were too strong for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to beat Chelsea 2-0 courtesy of goals from Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire. It was also a game that saw Odion Ighalo make his debut.  One of the anticipated battles on the night was the midfield battle between Fred and N'golo Kante and both players did not disappoint fans though Kante was substituted early in the game because of injury.  Before he was taken off, he had a duel with Fred and the picture of that duel has got people talking. While he challenged Fred for the ball, Fred was smiling while Kante set his eyes on the ball.  Many fans have interpreted the picture the way they feel, while some even mocked Kante and others praised Fred for his doggedness.  Fred has been one of the Manchester United's best players under Solsksjaer while Kante has struggled with injury under Lampard
Read more

IMSU 2021 Post-UTME/DE Form: cut-off mark, eligibility and registration details

-
Image
The management of Imo State University, Owerri, hereby informs the general public, especially its prospective students, that it has commenced the registration of candidates for the 2021/2022 POST-UTME and Direct Entry screening exercise. ELIGIBILITY Candidates who chose Imo State University, Owerri as their first choice and scored a minimum of 150 in the UTME. Candidates who did not choose Imo State University as their first choice university but scored the required cut-off mark may also apply on the condition that they visit the JAMB website and change their institution of first choice to Imo State University, Owerri. Direct Entry candidates must be holders of OND/HND/First Degree, A’ Level or their equivalents in relevant disciplines and subjects. HOW TO APPLY Visit the University website at:  www.imsu.edu.ng  and click on admissions on the top menu of the homepage. You will be directed to the admission section of the portal, click on apply for 2021/2022 Post-UTM...
Read more

FUNAAB Release 2021/2022 Admission List on JAMB CAPS

-
Image
This is to inform all candidates who participated in the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) 2021/2022 Post-UTME that the admission List for the 2021/2022 academic session has been released.  All prospective candidates can now proceed to check if their names are on the Provisional Admission list of successful candidates The list of admitted candidates was uploaded online via JAMB CAPS Candidates are to follow the steps below to check; ➡️Visit: https://www.jamb.gov.ng/Efacility  and login with your registered email address and password to access your dashboard ➡️ Click on Check Admission Status ➡️ Click on Access my CAPS ➡️ Click on Admission status  to see if you have been offered admission If your result is activated it will show (Make sure you activate desktop site mode on your web browser before you take the step 3) Candidates who have been offered admission are to proceed to click"ACCEPT" or "REJECT" to indicate acceptance or...
Read more

COOU 2021 Post-UTME/DE Form: Cut-off mark, Eligibility and Registration Details

-
Image
The management of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University is inviting candidates who made COOU their First Choice Institution in the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and scored 150 or above for screening exercise. Candidates for Law and Medicine should have a minimum score of 200 to qualify for Post UTME application. ONLINE REGISTRATION A. Eligible candidates are required to pay a processing fee of Two Thousand Naira (N2,000.00) only through the REMITA platform at any Commercial Bank B. The online registration commences on Thursday. 4th November, 2021. C. Post-UTME Registration Process: I. Click on  https://portal.coou.edu.ng/GenerateInvoice.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 Ii. Click on Prospective Students iii. Select Generate 2021/2022 PUTME Invoice Iv. Enter JAMB Registration Number v. Click on Sign in to generate invoice vi) Proceed to any bank for payment or pay using your ATM card vil Return to portal (viii) Re-enter JAMB Registration Number...
Read more