Dr. Onyema Ogbuagbu is a member of the team that helped develop the COVID-19 vaccine for Pfizer. Dr. Onyema Ogbuagbu is an Infectious Disease Specialist at the Yale School of Medicine.
According to his profile on the Yale School of Medicine website, Dr. Onyema Ogbuagbu serves as the HIV clinical trial program director. He also serves as the lead investigator in a trial for HIV prevention among MSM and transgender women. At Yale, he is responsible for educating and training students, but his expertise has been sought out around various institutions. He mentored students in Rwanda in clinical research projects aimed at addressing HIV/AIDS in the country.
As a Yale Principal Investigator for the COVID-19 vaccine, he investigated various therapies such as remdesivir, now approved by the FDA, leronlimad, and others. Pfizer recently announced their COVID-19 vaccine was 90% effective. In an interview with ABC News, Dr. Onyema Ogbuagbu said having a highly effective vaccine would help achieve herd immunity. The vaccination, which consists of a 2-dose schedule, shows a 90% efficacy rate seven days after the second dose. The Pfizer vaccine requires it to be stored at freezing temperatures. Dr. Ogbuagbu says preparations are being made to address those concerns. Pfizer projects the distribution of 1.3 billion doses of the vaccine. Massive distribution of the vaccine is expected to go out around March 2021.
Danielle Sanders is a writer and journalist living in Chicago. Find her on social media @DanieSandersOfficial.