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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – On Tuesday morning, pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that its COVID-19 vaccine is performing better than experts expected.
The data suggests it is 90% effective in preventing the novel coronavirus. But what exactly does that mean?
Dr Timothy Schacker, vice dean for research at the University of Minnesota Medical School, says he’s thrilled with the news, but he’s not yet dancing on the streets.
“I have a cautious optimism [laughs]”Said Schacker.” These are preliminary results and you have to take them into account.
The data, from an independent monitoring committee, is preliminary, but Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNN on Monday, “90% is a game changer.”
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Some Pfizer study participants were given a placebo, while others were given a vaccine.
“Ninety percent of the people who get the vaccine will mount an immune response that is protected in some way,” Schacker said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the effectiveness of the measles vaccine is approximately 97%. It is between 50% and 60% on average for the flu. Compared to more stable coronaviruses, influenza has a high mutation rate.
Right now, there are four late-stage COVID-19 vaccine studies in the United States: Johnson and Johnson, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer.
Pfizer said it expects to apply for emergency use clearance from the Food and Drug Administration once two months of safety data is completed. This could happen at the end of this month.
“So far, vaccines have not given us any signs that there are serious or significant safety concerns,” Schacker said.
This does not mean that the vaccine will be widely available in the very near future. According to Patsy Stinchfield, senior director of infection prevention and control at Children’s Minnesota and liaison representative for the CDC’s Immunization Practices Advisory Committee, healthcare professionals are likely to receive their first doses of the vaccine in December or January.
The vaccine is not expected to be available to the public until late spring.
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