The impact of a new COVID-19 vaccine could mean life is back to normal in about one year, according to one of its creators.
BioNTech co-founder Uğur Şahin said he is "very confident" a vaccine will reduce transmission of the virus if an immunisation programme is rolled out in time.
BioNTech and US vaccination co-developers Pfizer said earlier in November their experimental vaccine is more than 90 percent effective against COVID-19. It's been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and requires two doses taken three weeks apart.
Şahin told BBC One's Andrew Marr in an interview on Sunday that any successful vaccine will offer a "dramatic reduction" in the spread of the virus.
He said since it isn't known how long immunisation lasts once someone's taken the vaccine, it may mean a jab is required "every year, every second year or every five years".
BioNTech and Pfizer are aiming to distribute 300 million doses around the world by April, with the first vaccinations happening next month.
New Zealand has secured a deal to buy 1.5 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine - enough for 750,000 people.
Şahin added while this won't affect the second wave currently sweeping across America and Europe - where Şahin is based - it could help countries have a "normal winter" next year.
"This winter will be hard. We will not have a big impact on the infection numbers with our vaccine this winter. If everything continues to go well, we will start to deliver the vaccine at the end of this year, beginning of next year," he said.
"The bigger impact will not happen until [the northern hemisphere's] summer. The summer will help us anyway because the infection rate will go down. What is absolutely essential is that we get a high vaccination rate until or before autumn, winter next year."
He said this means all immunisation vaccinations should be completed by the northern hemisphere's autumn to help curb the spread before colder months.
"We are confident that this will happen because a number of vaccine companies have been asked to increase the supply, so we could have a normal winter next year."
But one scientist believes life could be back to normal earlier than that.
Regius professor of medicine at Oxford University Sir John Bell said the northern hemisphere's spring is a realistic target.
"I am probably the first guy to say that, but I will say that with some confidence," he said, according to the BBC.
