Joe Biden has released his first statement responding to the news that the pharmaceutical corporations Pfizer and BioNTech have claimed that their coronavirus vaccine may be more than 90% effective.
Earlier today, The Independent and Sky News reported how the firms have released interim data from their ongoing large-scale trial, with the vaccine being tested on 43,500 people from six countries.
BBC News also reports that no safety concerns have been raised.
Releasing a statement from "The Office of the President Elect", Biden said of the breakthrough announcement:
"Last night, my public health advisors were informed of this excellent news. I congratulate the brilliant women and men who helped produce this breakthrough and to give us such cause for hope.
"At the same time, it is also important to understand that the end of the battle against COVID-19 is still months away. This news follows a previously announced timeline by industry officials that forecast vaccine approval by late November.
"Even if that is achieved, and some Americans are vaccinated later this year, it will be many more months before there is widespread vaccination in this country."
Biden then talked about the importance of CDC's guidelines on wearing face coverings - a guideline he has been vocal in supporting throughout 2020.
"This is why the head of the CDC warned this fall that for the foreseeable future, a mask remains a more potent weapon against the virus than the vaccine," Biden wrote. "Today's news does not change this urgent reality."
In response to the news, Trump also tweeted (in all-caps) on Monday (November 9): "STOCK MARKET UP BIG, VACCINE COMING SOON. REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE. SUCH GREAT NEWS!"
The incumbent president also retweeted the following video from news outlet Reuters:
Per Business Insider, Trump may have been pointing out climbs in the stock market, but global stocks have reportedly hit record highs after following Joe Biden's projected win of the US presidential election.
US stock futures then soared once again on Monday morning after Pfizer's announcement.
It's believed that Pfizer will apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of this month. The company says it will be able to supply 50 million doses of the vaccine by the end of this year, and roughly 1.3 billion by the end of 2021, the BBC adds.
Albert Bourla, Pfizer's chairman and chief executive, has since said in a statement:
"Today is a great day for science and humanity.
"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 added:
"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.
"While we are all in the midst of a second wave and many of us in lockdown, we appreciate even more how important this milestone is on our path towards ending this pandemic and for all of us to regain a sense of normality."
It is important to note that the data that has been presented is not the final analysis, and is based on the first 94 volunteers to test positive for COVID. The precise effectiveness of the vaccine could change once data has been analyzed in full.
There are around a dozen vaccines currently in what's known as 'phase three' testing - the final stages of vaccine testing. The Pfizer effort is the first to show any results.
According to the BBC, the vaccine deploys an experimental approach that works by injecting part of the virus' genetic code in order to train the immune system. Previous trials showed that the vaccine successfully trained the body to produce both antibodies and T-cell response to fight the coronavirus.
Per the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, the US has reported 9,982,054 confirmed cases of Covid-19, which has resulted in 237,608 death (at the time of this writing).