The drugmaker Moderna announced on Monday that its coronavirus vaccine was 94.5 percent effective, joining Pfizer as a front-runner in the global race to contain a raging pandemic that has killed 1.2 million people worldwide.
Both companies plan to apply within weeks to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization to begin vaccinating the public. Officials said the two companies could produce enough vaccine for a little more than 20 million people in the United States by sometime in December, with the first doses going to people with the highest risk, like health care workers, emergency medical workers and frail residents of nursing homes.
But a vaccine that would be widely available to the public is still months away, while the need for one is becoming increasingly urgent.
The pandemic has infected more than 53 million people around the world so far. U.S. cases are soaring, setting records every day. There have been more than 11 million cases and 246,000 deaths. Covid-19 is killing more than 1,100 Americans a day, and the last million cases occurred in just six days.
Moderna said that while a smaller percentage of participants who received the vaccine, mRNA-1273, experienced mild side effects such as body aches and headaches, the vaccine did not have any significant side effects.
The company plans to apply for authorization for its vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration after it collects more safety data this month.
In addition to being slightly more effective than Pfizer’s, Moderna’s vaccine can be stored in a freezer that is often available in doctors’ offices and pharmacies, while Pfizer’s vaccine needs to be kept in freezers that are much colder and not as widely available.
Moderna also announced that the vaccine can then be stored in a standard home or medical refrigerator for up to 30 days, compared to Pfizer’s five days.
