World "Better Prepared" For Covid Variants: Vaccine Maker BioNTech

As the surge of cases due to the spread of the more transmissible Omicron variant of the virus seemed to be receding in Europe, Sahin said it would not be the last virus wave.

The world is becoming "better prepared" to deal with future variants of the coronavirus, the CEO and co-founder of German vaccine-maker BioNTech told AFP Thursday, as the company works on an Omicron-specific shot.

"We will have to get used to the fact that we will have to live with the virus for the next 10 years," said Ugur Sahin, whose company developed the first mRNA vaccine against the virus with US pharma giant Pfizer.

As the surge of cases due to the spread of the more transmissible Omicron variant of the virus seemed to be receding in Europe, Sahin said it would not be the last virus wave.

New virus variants were inevitable "because the virus will mutate further", he said, potentially leading to new flare-ups in cases.