FDA advisers recommend 2nd coronavirus vaccine, with agency approval expected soon
A government advisory panel endorsed a second COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, paving the way for the shot to be added to the U.S. vaccination campaign.
A government advisory panel endorsed a second COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, paving the way for the shot to be added to the U.S. vaccination campaign.
Hope among health workers is tempered by grief and the sheer exhaustion of months spent battling a virus that is still surging in the U.S. and around the world.
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine faces one final hurdle as it races to become the first shot greenlighted in the U.S.: a panel of experts who will scrutinize the company’s data for any red flags.
Documents released by U.S. regulators Tuesday confirmed that Pfizer’s vaccine was strongly protective against COVID-19 and appeared safe.
The move makes Britain one of the first countries to begin vaccinating its population as it tries to curb Europe’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.
The company created its shots with the U.S. National Institutes of Health and said it got the final needed results over the weekend that suggest the vaccine is more than 94% effective.
The request starts the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and eventually an end to the pandemic -- but not until after a long, hard winter.
Moderna said its vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective, according to preliminary data from an ongoing U.S. study.
Monday’s announcement does not mean a vaccine is imminent.
Officials sought Wednesday to assure a skeptical Congress and public that they can trust any shots the government ultimately approves.
AstraZeneca has put on hold studies of its vaccine candidate in the U.S. and other countries while it investigates whether a British volunteer’s illness is a side effect or a coincidence.
The pause shows there will be “no compromises” on safety in developing the vaccines, the chief of the National Institutes of Health told Congress on Wednesday.