Yahoo Lifestyle writer and editor Abby Haglage breaks down Pfizer's news of a vaccine that shows 90% effective rate in trials.
#coronavirus #coronavirusvaccine #COVID-19vaccine
In long-awaited good news Monday, drugmaker Pfizer announced that its vaccine candidate — created with German biotechnology company BioNTech SE — was 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in phase III clinical trials. The news, delivered via a press release, marks the first positive data to come from a late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trial.

The phase III clinical trial involved approximately 44,000 participants from the U.S., Argentina, Brazil and Germany. Half of the participants were given a placebo; the other half a two-dose vaccine. In total, 94 individuals developed COVID-19, suggesting that, at 28 days, individuals given the vaccine were 90 percent immune to the virus.

With nearly 10 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 230,000 deaths, the news has been heavily praised by experts. In a statement released by Pfizer, the company chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla called it a “great day for science and humanity,” suggesting that it brings the world one step closer to normalcy.

“We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen,” Bourla said. “With today’s news, we are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis.”

As reactions to the news continue, here’s what you need to know.

Ninety percent efficacy is exceptionally high
Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, says the prevention level of the vaccine has come in much higher than vaccine experts and other scientists anticipated. “Most of us in the field did not think that these first-generation vaccines would provide anywhere near that level of efficacy of preventing infection,” Adalja tells Yahoo Life. “We thought their main value would be in preventing hospitalizations and deaths, but we were thinking of maybe 50 to 60 percent efficacy. So this is surprising.”

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