A UK medical expert has said he is quite confident life will begin to return to normal by the springtime.
Sir John Bell was speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World At One yesterday following the news that a Covid-19 vaccine trial had been determined to be 90% effective-- far exceeding the expectations of experts.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is on Phase 3 of clinical trials, and out of 43,538 participants, just 94 cases of the virus have so far been confirmed.
The news heralded rare scenes of joy and hope across the world, something rarely seen in 2020, but while many experts are calling for cautious optimism, Sir Bell was more confident that the vaccine indicates a return to normality in the near future.
He told the BBC: "I am really delighted with this result ... 90% is an amazing level of efficacy."
He added, "I can't see any reasons now why we shouldn't have a handful of good vaccines".
Asked by presenter Sarah Montague if the vaccine news means the world can anticipate a return to normality by spring, Sir Bell happily replied: "Yes, yes, yes, yes.
"I am probably the first guy to say that but I will say that with some confidence."
This from the fab @Sarah_Montague is such a lovely moment - as she reacts to Sir John Bell say he thinks life could be returning to normal by the spring.
"I'm probably the first guy to say that but I will say that with some confidence."pic.twitter.com/OIPPfBWn9y— Charlie Haynes (@charliehtweets) November 9, 2020
In a statement yesterday, Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr Albert Bourla, said: "Today is a great day for science and humanity.
"The first set of results from our Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial provides the initial evidence of our vaccine’s ability to prevent COVID-19."
"With today’s news, we are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis."
