Coronavirus Vaccine Moderna Has Nearly 95% Protection, Early Data Shows
Published
| Last updated
A brand new vaccine that offers protection against the coronavirus is said to be almost 95% effective, according to early data from US company Moderna.
The trial reportedly involved 30,000 people in the US. Half the group were given two doses of the vaccine, spaced at four weeks apart, while the the other half were given dummy injections.
The analysis was based on the first 95 to develop symptoms. Just five of the coronavirus cases were found in those who’d been given the vaccine, while 90 were recorded among those who’d been given the dummy treatment. Moderna has said that the vaccine is protecting 94.5%.
It was also found that, out of the 11 cases of severe coronavirus recorded during the trial, none had happened to those who had been immunised.
As reported by BBC News, chief medical officer at Moderna, Tal Zaks, said:
The overall effectiveness has been remarkable… it’s a great day.
At the time of writing, it’s unclear how long immunity will last for, and volunteers will have to be tracked for a far longer period before the team has answers.
There is still no information as to how effective this vaccine will be for older people, who face the greatest risk from coronavirus. It’s also unclear whether the vaccine stops people becoming seriously ill, or whether it just stops them spreading the virus.
Such questions will be crucial when determining how the vaccine will be used. However, the data collected so far suggests the vaccine ‘does not appear to lose its potency’ over time.
Moderna has stated that it will apply to US regulators within the coming weeks, and expects to have 20 million doses available within the US.
It’s hoped that Moderna will have as many as one billion doses available for worldwide use next year, with the company having revealed plans to seek approval in other countries aside from the US.
This development comes one week after it was announced that the the UK had ordered 30 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, said to be 90% effective in immunising against the virus.
The Pfizer vaccine will now be sent to regulators for emergency approval by the end of November. It’s believed 50 million doses could be supplied by the end of the year, with the potential for 1.3 billion by the close of 2021. The UK’s 30 million order will be enough to vaccinate 15 million people.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
