The German company BioNTech partnered with the American company Pfizer to develop and test a COVID-19 vaccine.

About the manufacturers:

Pfizer Inc is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation and one of the world’s largest companies.

It develops and produces medicines and vaccines for a wide range of medical disciplines.

BioNTech SE is a German biotechnology company, that develops and manufactures medicines and vaccines for patient-specific approaches to the treatment of diseases.

How does the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine work?

The vaccine is based on mRNA technology, which is a way of giving the body the genetic instructions it needs to make the coronavirus spike protein.

Source: https://www.ft.com/content/74e41528-80c3-4b0f-b343-be43d90f0311

Who can’t get the vaccine?

When evaluating whether to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or not, it appears to be safe for the majority of people.

But there are some individuals who will need to take additional considerations into account including:

  • Those suffering from severe allergies
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • People with underlying medical conditions
  • Individuals under the age of 18

What happens if you miss your second shot?

In the trial, the gap between the 2 doses ranged between 19 and 42 days. Only 2% of people missed their second dose in the test, so it’s not completely obvious what’s going to happen in those situations.

What to expect after taking the vaccine?

During trial, the vaccine was generally well-tolerated and no significant health concerns were reported. But some individuals experienced mild side effects including:

  • Weakness
  • Headache
  • Pain at the injection site
  • Muscle aches


Read more: