Moderna COVID Vaccine Field Trial Demonstrates Safety and Effectiveness
The Data Safety and Monitoring Board advised Moderna Therapeutics on November 15th that their two-dose mRNA vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 in a placebo-controlled blinded trial of 30,000 subjects. No clinically adverse effects were noted among the 15,000 vaccinates.
The Moderna vaccine is stable for six months at -100F but more significant it may be stored at refrigeration temperatures for up to 30 days. This will facilitate distribution and mass administration. This is an immense advantage over the equally effective Pfizer vaccine announced a week ago that requires a -100F cold chain from manufacture through to administration.
Challenges facing the U.S. vaccination program will be increasing the rate of production of both vaccines, arranging the logistics of distribution and convincing azt least 70 percent of our population to accept the Pfizer and Moderna products after FDA approval anticipated in mid-December.