1. Hackers steal data on vaccine from BioNTech and Pfizer
2. WHO experts arrive in India where an outbreak of an unknown disease has occurred
3. Airbnb went public, now worth $47 billion

Hackers Steal Data on Vaccine from BioNTech and Pfizer

On Wednesday, U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech revealed that documents relating to their production of the Covid-19 vaccine were “unlawfully accessed” in a cyberattack against the European drug regulator.

The hackers who carried out the cyberattack on the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gained access to some documents about the coronavirus vaccine from pharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Pfizer.

On the eve it became known that the EMA was subjected to a cyberattack. It was reported that the agency promptly launched a full investigation in close cooperation with law enforcement agencies.

“We were informed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that the agency was under cyberattack and that some documents related to the regulatory submission of the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine candidate that was stored on the EMA server were illegally obtained,” was stated on the BioNTech website.

There is no information yet on what the hackers intend to do with the information received. BioNTech said it is awaiting additional information about the investigation conducted by the EMA and is going to respond in accordance with EU legislation.

The EMA agency is responsible for studying the results of trials of vaccines against coronavirus, makes its conclusions, and recommends them for use in the pharmaceutical market of the European Union.

The German company BioNTech and the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer previously announced a successful third phase of clinical trials of their own vaccine – it has shown efficiency of about 95% in preventing coronavirus infection.

WHO Experts Arrive in India Where an Outbreak of an Unknown Disease Has Occurred

Two experts from the WHO arrived in the Indian city of Eluru, where, according to the latest data, 593 people were affected by an unknown disease, according to the local tv channel Times Now.

An outbreak of an unknown disease in the city of Eluru and its surroundings began last Sunday. Symptoms include epileptic seizures within three to five minutes, memory loss within minutes, sudden fainting spells, headache, and back pain.

Earlier it was reported that teams of doctors from the National Institute of Nutrition, the Institute of Chemical Technology and the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences were sent to the city to determine the cause of the disease. Specialists test samples of blood, urine of patients, and also study food and water samples.

Earlier, the office of the chief minister of the state of Andhra Pradesh said that the cause of the mysterious disease could be lead and nickel poisoning, traces of which were found in water and milk. However, it was reported that these are preliminary data and it is necessary to wait for the results of additional studies.

Doctors in Eluru, the city where the diseases have been registered, told the Indian Express that in the past two days, the number of cases has decreased and patients have recovered rapidly. Experts from the World Health Organization are also on the field, alongside government teams. Door-to-door surveys have been requested to monitor people’s health issues as inquiries proceed into potential causes.

Airbnb Went Public, Now Worth $47 billion

Despite a pandemic that laid waste to most of the travel industry, Airbnb Inc. pulled off one of the biggest initial public offerings in 2020. Airbnb Inc. Earned $ 3.5 billion in public offering revenue, achieving a valuation above the price range set in the long-awaited public offering.

Airbnb sold 52 million shares for $ 68, which is above the targeted range. With the public offering, Airbnb was valued at $47 billion.

Although international travels dropped during the pandemic period, short-distance travel made Airbnb more durable than hotel chains. Airbnb revenue fell 18 percent in the third quarter, while Expedia and Marriott fell close to 60 percent.

The prices were reported on Wednesday evening by Bloomberg and Dow Jones, citing unnamed sources. Pricing will raise the value of Airbnb to about $47 billion. Such a level will mark a substantial increase following a pair of debt funding rounds from the company’s private valuation of about $18 billion in April, and its private pre-coronavirus valuation of $31 billion as of 2017.

With the Airbnb public offering, the size of the public offering on the US Stock Exchanges increased to 163 billion dollars. Shares of Airbnb are set to trade on the Nasdaq Thursday under the ticker “ABNB.”