We mustn’t get carried away but the strong reaction to the Pfizer-BioNTec trial results makes sense“A great day for science and humanity,” said the Pfizer chief executive, Albert Bourla. It was a decent one for stock markets too. The FTSE 100 index rose almost 5% as the US firm and its German partner, BioNTech, reported promising initial results from their Covid vaccine trial.There is an...

Couple who set up and run firm are children of long-maligned ‘guest workers’ from TurkeyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWhen the German biotechnology company BioNTech picked a street called An der Goldgrube or At the Goldmine in the western city of Mainz for its headquarters, the couple behind it could not have predicted how prophetic the address would turn out to...

There are well-established guards against mathematical errors in other sectors, writes Sabina Ali, so why are risks being taken with public health? Plus Carol Granère on testing failuresYour article (Fault in NHS Covid app meant thousands at risk did not quarantine, 2 November) states that an “oversight” from the programmers is at the source of thousands being put at risk. Why is it...

Early results from phase 3 trial look promising but there are still many questions to be answeredCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePfizer and the German biotech company Biontech said on Monday that they had had encouraging early results from a phase 3 clinical trial of their coronavirus vaccine. The trial is assessing how well the vaccine works in preventing humans from...

The pandemic has shown how a lack of solid statistics can be dangerous. But even with the firmest of evidence, we often end up ignoring the facts we don’t like. By Tim Harford Continue reading...

Interim analysis of vaccine by Pfizer/BioNTech far exceeds expectations of most expertsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA vaccine against Covid-19 is in sight, with the announcement of the first interim results in large-scale trials showing the Pfizer/BioNTech candidate is 90% effective, according to the manufacturers, whose analysis shows a much better performance...

Up to four people can meet in cafes and pubs, and supermarkets can sell non-essentialsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWales’s new national measures to combat coronavirus have come into force following the end of the country’s 17-day “firebreak” lockdown.Groups of up to four people can now meet in cafes, pubs and restaurants while shops, gyms, hairdressers and...

President-elect due to meet with 12-member advisory board amid concerns over transition processPost-election fallout - news and reactionTrump v Biden – full resultsJoe Biden will convene a coronavirus taskforce on Monday to confront one of the biggest problems vexing the US, as the president-elect and his running mate, Kamala Harris, move ahead with their transition process.On Sunday night,...

US currently has 9.49m confirmed Covid cases; October was worst month for pandemic; economic fallout makes prospect of third world war ‘a risk’. Follow the latest updatesUS confirms more than 126,000 Covid cases in new recordGlobal coronavirus cases pass 50m with US worst affected countryUK test and trace needs radical reform, experts sayCould a Covid vaccine bring back normality?Follow all...

Technology seen as a vital component in preparations to establish permanent lunar baseWhen astronauts return to the moon in the next decade, they will do more with the dust than leave footprints in it.A British firm has won a European Space Agency contract to develop the technology to turn moon dust and rocks into oxygen, leaving behind aluminium, iron and other metal powders for lunar...