Amanpour and Company

CAN I ASK YOU, DR. TURECI, WHAT WOULD OUR WORLD HAVE LOOKED LIKE IF mRNA HAD FAILED? WHAT'S BEHIND THE PFIZER VACCINE. >> WELL, mRNA VACCINES HAVE BEEN NOW ADMINISTERED TO HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AND CAME JUST IN TIME. SO THE WORK WLD WOULD HAVE LOOK VERY DIFFERENT IF WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO VACCINATE SO MANY. >> AND, DR. SAHIN, WHEN YOUR VACCINE FIRST HIT THE MARKET YOU DID SAY THIS COULD BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE COVID ERA. I AM WONDERING WHETHER TODAY YOU THINK THE SAME. >> YES, I THINK VACCINES ARE STILL THE ONLY WAY TO END THIS PANDEMIC OR TO CONTROL THIS PANDEMIC. WITHOUT VACCINES, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE. BUT IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT VACCINE ALONE IS SUFFICIENT. OF COURSE WE, NEED TO ADDRESS ALL OTHER KIND OF MEASURES. VACCINES ARE SUPPORTIVE TO PROVIDE IMMUNITY TO PREVENT INFECTIONS, TO PREVENT FURTHER SPREAD, BUT IF NOT SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS ARE VACCINATED, WE CAN'T GET IMMUNITY AND WE CAN'T -- IF WE DON'T GET HERD IMMUNITY, WE CAN'T CONTROL, THE PANDEMIC. >> SO IT SEEMS THAT THAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE. I MEAN, WE KNOW NOW THAT THERE ARE BOOSTERSERS THAT ARE BEING GIVEN OUT. WE KNOW THAT SOME PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS, MANY ARE SUGGESTING THAT COVID COULD BE LIKE FLU AND REQUIRE BOOSTERS EVERY SEVERAL YEAR OR CERTAINLY REGULARLY. WE KNOW, OF COURSE, ABOUT THE VARIANTS. IS THAT WHAT YOU SEE AND FORESEE DOWN THE LINE? >> YES. THIS IS WHAT WE FORESEE, THAT BOOSTERS WILL MOST LIKELY BE NEEDED. WE, HOWEVER, HAVE TO DECIDE BASED ON DATA AND THIS DATA NEEDS THE PASSAGE OF TIME AS WE CONTINUE TO OBSERVE HOW OVER TIME IMMUNE RESPONSES AND THE PROTECTION HE DEVELOPS.