Right after Pfizer announced that it released its vaccine, Moderna announced that it released its own vaccine with a 94.5% efficacy rate, 4.5% higher than that of Pfizer’s. Fauci says that vaccination could start by the later part of December and be given to high risk groups like seniors and frontline healthcare workers. Fauci also says that he hopes everyone else can get the vaccine in April.
Moderna’s study design included over 15,000 participants who were given a placebo. This was simply a saline shot. 90 had developed covid, and 11 of them had developed severe COVID-19. For 15,000 patients in the group that was given the shot, only 5 had gotten COVID-19. There were also no reported serious side effects except for body aches and headaches. Moderna hopes to apply for FDA approval soon so it can be distributed to the public in massive quantities.
Like Pfizer’s vaccine, it uses mRNA technology. This would demonstrate that mRNA technology can be used for vaccines, which has thus far seen mixed reviews on its benefits. mRNA technology has its drawbacks, however, including cold chain requirements - this would require hospitals and governments to stockpile on freezer equipment. However, an advantage of Moderna’s vaccine over Pfizer’s is that the vaccines only need to be stored at -20 degrees C. This gives Moderna a comparative advantage currently.
-Fan
Source:
https://www.modernatx.com/modernas-work-potential-vaccine-against-covid-19
https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-completes-enrollment-phase-3-cove-study-mrna-vaccine
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/16/health/moderna-vaccine-results-coronavirus/index.html
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