BioNTech CEO: "COVID-19 Pandemic Will Last Until Mid-Next Year"

Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Ugur Sahin, CEO of German BioNTech, which developed the COVID-19 vaccine, predicted that the pandemic will continue until mid-next year.

On the 4th (local time), at the 'CEO Council Summit' hosted by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), CEO Sahin forecasted this, noting that COVID-19 infections are still surging in developing countries including India. Sahin is the creator of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the first to be approved in the West.

He stated, "No one will be safe unless the global vaccination rate increases," emphasizing that achieving herd immunity worldwide is necessary to end the pandemic.

CEO Sahin added, "By mid-2022, densely populated areas like India will reach herd immunity by achieving high vaccination rates," and "Over the next 12 months, more advanced industrialized countries, developing countries, and low-income nations will increase vaccine manufacturing capacity and add new production facilities, leading to herd immunity."