Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Might Become Available in December
A COVID-19 vaccine being made by drug maker Moderna might be available in just a few weeks, and here’s what you need to know.
Moderna announced on November 16 that they are currently in Phase three of testing the new vaccine and according to their data, it is 94.5% effective. This is major news, as COVID-19 cases have reached their peak in the United States. With 11.4 million cases of COVID-19 and 248,000 deaths, a vaccine will save hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives in the United States and globally.
We just announced that mRNA-1273, our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, has met its primary efficacy endpoint in the first interim analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study.
— Moderna (@moderna_tx) November 16, 2020
Read more: https://t.co/vYWEy8CKCv pic.twitter.com/YuLubU1tlx
This news of a successful COVID-19 vaccine has come just after the company Pfizer announced that according to their studies, their vaccine is 90% effective. The trials for Phase 3 of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine involved over 30,000 American participants. According to CNN, the two drugmakers are using the same mRNA technology to create the vaccines which is why they are yielding similar results.
Pfizer, when they learned that the Moderna vaccine is slightly more effective and doesn’t require a -80 cold chain pic.twitter.com/LteO41OzUb
— Ilan Schwartz MD PhD (@GermHunterMD) November 17, 2020
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, has predicted that a COVID-19 vaccine (from either Pfizer or Moderna) will become available for high-risk individuals by December, and for others in the spring of 2021. Along with other medical professionals, Dr. Fauci has also emphasized that even when the vaccine becomes available to the general public, we must continue to practice social distancing and wash our hands regularly.
It was just announced that country singer Dolly Parton funded Moderna and aided their efforts to come up with a vaccine to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans have voiced their gratitude on social media and Parton has expressed that she just wanted to help people.
Dolly Parton donated $1 million to help fund Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which has proved 95% effective.
— The Women’s Organisation (@TheWomensOrg) November 17, 2020
She’s now releasing a @netflix Christmas film ‘Christmas on the Square’, as well as a festive album ‘Holly Dolly Christmas’.
Dolly is here to save 2020 👏 pic.twitter.com/uoPNoVoFC3
Both Pfizer and Moderna are expected to apply for FDA approval within weeks so that they can begin providing doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for the public. Although there are many concerns with how to distribute the vaccine to hotter parts of the globe (as it needs to be stored at a certain temperature), and how long the vaccine will provide immunity to the virus, the news that there may be an end to the pandemic soon is encouraging. We must continue to make an effort to protect ourselves and others.
