With the world anxiously awaiting more information about the COVID-19 vaccine, there have been lots of questions around how this will all work. Currently, there are three front-running coronavirus vaccine candidates and all have strong evidence they can prevent the spread of the virus. The vaccines are made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca. Right now, it’s looking like Pfizer will be edging out the others as the widespread distributor of the vaccine.
Although updates are being released daily, there are still many questions we have about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. Here are the top concerns and responses we’ve rounded up:
How many vaccine options are there?
A: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently reported that Pfizer and Moderna will be the first two COVID-19 vaccines being brought to the market. Early next year, Janssen and AstraZeneca will likely also be available, followed by Novavax which will be starting its research trial soon.
The first COVID-19 vaccines could get limited approval in late 2020. The FDA is rushing its vaccine clinical trials by working closely with Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) which all have a vaccine in final clinical trial phases.
Will the vaccine be immediately effective?
The FDA reported that both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines (the only two with early data available in the U.S.) have been shown to be 94 to 95 percent effective. Study participants will continue to be closely followed over time for any discrepancies.