Since January, the science sphere has scrambled to create an effective COVID-19 vaccine, hoping to stop the more than 1.5 million deaths worldwide.

One power couple, made up of Dr. Ugur Sahin and Dr. Özlem Türeci, paired their German BioNTech company with Pfizer in order to create the first COVID vaccine with over 94 percent effectiveness.

According to the New York Times, “BioNTech began work on the vaccine in January, after Dr. Sahin read an article in The Lancet that left him convinced that the coronavirus would explode into a full-blown pandemic.”

Since BioNTech and Pfizer were working on a flu vaccine from 2018, they ultimately decided to work together on this vaccine together.

After successful initial trials on the vaccine showed promise, the stocks instantaneously soared at once, making the immigrant couple who founded the company millionaires within mere days.

Both Dr. Sahin and Dr. Tureci come from Turkish parents who immigrated to Germany, the couple married after working together in oncology wards in Homburg and shared interests in how the body battles cancer.

Dr. Sahin earned his M.D. in 1990 from University of Cologne, while Dr. Tureci earned her M.D from Saarland University Faculty of Medicine, she also serves as President of the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy, according to the BioNTech website.

This powerful duo co-founded BioNTech in 2008, which was later bought by Astellas Pharma Inc. in 2016.

Loretto senior Liliana Mendoza said, “Their work together is great and has the potential to save the world, their dedication to the vaccine shows that anything is possible.”

For the new vaccine to be distributed nationwide, Pfizer will mainly distribute from there labs in Kalamazoo, Michigan, according to the Pfizer website.

After distribution to their final destinations, the vaccines must be stored in extremely cold temperatures kept by special storage units.

The vaccine has already been distributed to countries, including the United Kingdom.

In the UK, two healthcare workers were treated for severe allergy reactions after being administered the vaccine, now their government has issued a warning against people taking the vaccine with a history of extremely severe allergic reactions.

Now as the vaccine prepares to be distributed nationwide, the Pfizer vaccine has made history by becoming one of the first successful treatments that could potentially save millions of lives.

And while some Americans have their reservations about the vaccine, science has again shone through in this couple’s research, leading them on a path to salvage what this pandemic has destroyed.

Loretto senior Amaryia Atkins said, “I don’t plan on taking the vaccine, I did some research… they were just too eager to get it [vaccine] out so they would have something out.”

While the world begins to solve an impossible and unique virus, this power couple leads on the world stage, setting a model example of how teamwork makes the dream work.