The Pieces Of The COVID-19 Vaccine Puzzle Start To Fit Together

Another vaccine maker this morning reports encouraging test results. Moderna’s vaccine, like Pfizer’s, is a type that’s never been used before. So what does that mean exactly?

The pharmaceutical company, Moderna, announcing Monday its Coronavirus vaccine appears to be successful enough to move ahead, and will get ready to apply for Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA as soon as safety data is complete, “in the coming weeks.” It says an initial analysis of safety data “did not report any significant safety concerns”. With the most common side effects being fatigue and muscle ache. The company has not yet submitted its results to be peer-reviewed.

Moderna says during its trial of 30,000 participants in the U.S., it identified 95 of them who became infected with COVID-19, 11 severely. Of those infected, only 5 had actually received the vaccine and 90 had received a placebo. All people with “severe” disease had received the placebo. Meaning at least among that limited group, the vaccine appeared to be 94.5% effective. Pfizer reported an initial effectiveness rate of more than 90%. If those numbers bear out, they both exceed the level of effectiveness the FDA had previously suggested it would…