Moderna released early data on Monday (November 16), which shows that their coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor, reacted to the news, stating, "These are obviously very exciting results. It's just as good as it gets -- 94.5% is truly outstanding." Fauci added that vaccinations could begin in the second half of December for high-risk groups, including health care workers, the elderly, and people with underlying medical conditions. Vaccines are expected to roll out at the start of spring for the greater population.
This comes after Pfizer announced that early data show its vaccine is more than 90% effective against the disease.
Moderna's trial consisted of 15,000 study participants who were given a placebo, which is a shot of saline that has no effect. Over several months, 90 of them developed Covid-19, with 11 developing severe forms of the disease. Another 15,000 participants were given the vaccine, and only five of them developed Covid-19. None of the five became severely ill. The reported side effects of the vaccine are body aches and headaches.
