Moderna CEO: Pandemic could be over in a year

Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel told the Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung on Thursday he thinks the COVID-19 pandemic could be over in a year due to increases in vaccine production, per Reuters.

What he's saying: "If you look at the industry-wide expansion of production capacities over the past six months, enough doses should be available by the middle of next year so that everyone on this Earth can be vaccinated," Bancel said.

• Bancel said the development would make the vaccine available to infants.
• "Those who do not get vaccinated will immunize themselves naturally, because the Delta variant is so contagious," Bancel said
• "In this way, we will end up in a situation similar to that of the flu. You can either get vaccinated and have a good winter. Or you don't do it and risk getting sick and possibly even ending up in hospital."

The executive said he assumes the development would mean a return to normalcy during the second half of next year.