It is no secret that people have been patiently waiting for any positive news regarding the pandemic that has now claimed the lives of over 400,000 Americans. Drugmaker Pfizer has created a vaccine that has proved to be more than a promising development.
Pfizer and partner BioNTech has not only created a COVID-19 vaccine but an effective one at that. According to The New York Times, in addition to raising no serious safety concerns, early data proved the vaccine to be over 95% effective in preventing the disease.
In a Pfizer press release, Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO stated: “We have been looking forward to presenting our robust data package to the committee of vaccine experts for the U.S. government since we began our efforts to develop a novel COVID-19 vaccine earlier this year. We are pleased with the committee’s strong majority vote, and if the FDA issues an authorization, stand at the ready to bring this vaccine to people in the U.S. in an effort to help combat this devastating pandemic.”
Following authorizations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), Pfizer began distributing the vaccine to be administered by health care professionals all across the country. According to a Pfizer press release, the U.S. Government has ordered 100 million doses bringing total doses for the U.S. to 200 million. All 200 million doses are expected to be delivered by July 31, 2021, allowing for 100 million people to be vaccinated.
“With these 100 million additional doses, the United States will be able to protect more individuals and hopefully end this devastating pandemic more quickly,” Albert Bourla said. “We look forward to continuing our work with the U.S. government and healthcare providers around the country.”
Not to be out shadowed, drug maker Moderna has also created a vaccine that has proved efficient and has since been authorized and distributed for public administration. With early data proving the vaccine to be over 94.5% accurate, Moderna has quickly joined Pfizer among the front runners in the global race to contain COVID-19.
In a Moderna press release, the company announced that they expect 100 million doses to be available in the U.S. by the end of the first quarter of 2021, and 200 million total doses available by the end of the second quarter of 2021.
“Our effectiveness in providing early supply to the U.S. and Canadian governments and our ability to increase baseline production estimates for 2021 are both signals that our scale up of mRNA vaccine production is a success,” said Juan Andres, Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer at Moderna.
Regardless of vaccines used, health care professionals across the country are encouraging Americans to get vaccinated. According to an ABC News article, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, “I feel extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine and I want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated so that we can have a veil of protection over this country, that would end this pandemic.”
Since the supply of COVID-19 vaccines is currently limited, each state has its own plan for deciding which groups of people will be vaccinated first. As vaccines become more available so will the opportunities to receive the vaccine. For more information about the vaccine, you can visit the CDC’s website.