Continuing the spate of stunning news about COVID-19 vaccines, the biotech company Moderna announced the final results of the 30,000-person efficacy trial for its candidate in a press release today: Only 11 people who received two doses of the vaccine developed COVID-19 symptoms after being infected with the pandemic coronavirus, versus 185 symptomatic cases in a placebo group. That is an efficacy of 94.1%, the company says, far above what many vaccine scientists were expecting just a few weeks ago.
More impressive still, Moderna’s candidate had 100% efficacy against severe disease. There were zero such COVID-19 cases among those vaccinated, but 30 in the placebo group.
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel imagines the Moderna vaccine, given its high efficacy against both mild and severe disease, will have the most impact if given to people at the greatest risk from SARS-CoV-2. “Give it to health care workers, give it to the elderly, give it to people with diabetes, overweight, heart disease,” he says. “A 25-year-old healthy man? Give him another vaccine.”
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/202...ernas-vaccine-trial-developed-severe-covid-19
More impressive still, Moderna’s candidate had 100% efficacy against severe disease. There were zero such COVID-19 cases among those vaccinated, but 30 in the placebo group.
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel imagines the Moderna vaccine, given its high efficacy against both mild and severe disease, will have the most impact if given to people at the greatest risk from SARS-CoV-2. “Give it to health care workers, give it to the elderly, give it to people with diabetes, overweight, heart disease,” he says. “A 25-year-old healthy man? Give him another vaccine.”
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/202...ernas-vaccine-trial-developed-severe-covid-19
