The biotechnology company Moderna states that their vaccine against the coronavirus has 94.5 percent effectiveness in counteracting disease according to a preliminary analysis, reports the New York Times .
The vaccine has been tested on 30,000 people in the study. Half received two doses of vaccine and half received placebo. According to the analysis, the vaccine should also have a good effect when it comes to counteracting serious covid-19 disease.
Of the 95 participants in the study who received the virus, five had received the vaccine. In eleven cases, it was severe covid-19 and all those who fell ill belonged to the placebo group. This indicates the high efficacy of the vaccine.
The results from the analysis were published in a press release and the information comes from the safety committee that monitors the study. This has been designated by the National Institutes of Health, an independent body not affiliated with Moderna, so it is a reliable result that gives hope for further and final analysis.
Modern is an mRNA vaccine, just like the vaccine from Pfizer, but does not need to be stored at the same low temperature, which makes it easier to distribute.
Pfizer recently announced that an early data analysis of their coronavirus vaccine shows that it is more than 90 percent effective, which was significantly higher than expected.
That two independent vaccines show such high efficacy, albeit in early tests, is a good indication.
