BioNTech Chief Executive Ugur Sahin said on Monday that he was confident that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19 would be effective against the 'new variant' of the coronavirus that has emerged in the UK.
Speaking on Bild TV, Sahin said that the German company would investigate the mutation in the coming days but he viewed the matter with a "degree of soberness".
Sahin's remarks came right after the European Union cleared regulatory hurdles for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, to be rolled out after Christmas.
Sahin's calm stance about the virus mutation in the UK resonates with the World Health Organisation, which warned against major alarm, calling this a normal part of the pandemic's evolution.
Countries across the world have shut their borders for Britain on Monday lest a highly infectious new coronavirus strain does not spread yet again to other parts of the world. This is causing travel chaos and raising the prospect of food shortages in the United Kingdom.
Sahin said he hadn't yet been immunised but would like to be. He said it was more important that his employees get the vaccine so they can continue to do their jobs.
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