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- James Gallagher
- Health and Science Reporter
Credit, fake images
A new vaccine that protects against covid-19 is almost 95% effective, according to initial data published by the American company Moderna.
The disclosure comes shortly after similar results from Pfizer and increases confidence that vaccines can help end the pandemic. Both companies used a highly innovative, experimental approach to design their vaccines.
Moderna says it’s a “big day” and she plans to apply for approval for the vaccine in the United States in the coming weeks. However, these data are still initial and the main questions remain unanswered.
The analysis involved 30,000 people in the US, half received two doses of the vaccine, four weeks apart. The rest received a placebo.
The analysis was based on the first 95 people to develop symptoms of Covid-19. Only five of the covid cases occurred in people who received the vaccine. The other 90 cases were in people who received the placebo. Thus, the company ensures that the vaccine has a protection equivalent to 94.5%.
The data also shows that there were 11 severe cases of covid in the study, but none occurred in people who were immunized.
“The overall efficacy has been remarkable … it’s a great day,” Tal Zaks, Moderna’s chief medical officer, told BBC News.
What do we not know yet?
We do not yet know how long immunity will last, as volunteers will have to be accompanied for much longer before this can be answered.
There are indications that it offers some protection in older age groups, who are at higher risk of dying from covid, but there is no complete data on this.
Zaks told the BBC that the data so far suggests that the vaccine “does not appear to lose its potency” with age.
And it is not yet known whether the vaccine only prevents people from getting seriously ill or whether it also prevents them from spreading the virus.
All of these issues will affect how a coronavirus vaccine will be used.
Is the vaccine safe?
No major safety issues have been reported, but no drug, not even simple acetaminophen, is 100% safe.
Short-term fatigue, headache, and pain after injection have been reported in some patients.
“These effects are what we would expect from a vaccine that works and induces a good immune response,” said Professor Peter Openshaw of Imperial College London.
Credit, Modern
Moderna scientists used an innovative technique to rapidly develop the vaccine
How does it compare to the Pfizer vaccine?
Both vaccines use the same approach to inject part of the virus’ genetic code to elicit an immune response.
The preliminary data we’ve seen so far is very similar: about 90% protection for the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and about 95% for Moderna. However, both tests are still underway and the final figures may change.
Moderna’s vaccine appears to be easier to store, as it is stable at 20 ° C for up to six months and can be kept in a standard refrigerator for up to a month.
Pfizer vaccine should be stored at around 75 ° C and can be kept in the refrigerator for five days.
When can I take it?
It depends on where you are in the world and your age. Moderna says that it will request approval for the use of the vaccine from US regulators in the coming weeks and that the expectation is to have 20 million doses available in the country.
The company expects to have up to 1 billion doses available for use around the world next year and plans to seek approval in other countries as well.
In Brazil, the Ministry of Health announced in the second semester that it joined an international consortium (Covax) that will give the country access to nine vaccines, including the Moderna vaccine. But there is no detailed data on quantities and delivery times.
How does the vaccine work?
Moderna developed an “RNA vaccine,” which means that part of the coronavirus’ genetic code is injected into the body. This begins to produce viral proteins, but not all of the virus, which is enough to train the immune system to attack.
This should train the body to produce antibodies, and another part of the immune system, called T cells, to fight the coronavirus.
What reactions were recorded?
“This news from Moderna is tremendously exciting and greatly increases optimism that we will have a variety of good vaccines in the coming months,” said Professor Peter Openshaw of Imperial College London.
He added: “We need more complete details than in this press release, but this announcement adds to the general feeling of optimism.”
Professor Trudie Lang of the University of Oxford said: “It is really very good news to see another vaccine arrive with similar results to what Pfizer reported last week.”
“This is also an interim analysis, which means there were enough cases among the vaccinated volunteers to give statistical significance and allow the team to find out who had the active vaccine and who had the placebo.”
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