The pharmaceutical corporations Pfizer and BioNTech have claimed that their coronavirus vaccine may be more than 90% effective, in what is being described as "a great day for science and humanity."
Per The Independent and Sky News, the firms have released interim data from their ongoing large-scale trial, with the vaccine being tested on 43,500 people from six countries. The BBC reports that no safety concerns have been raised.
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.
Donald Trump has since taken to Twitter to laud the news. He wrote:
"STOCK MARKET UP BIG, VACCINE COMING SOON. REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE. SUCH GREAT NEWS!"
This is a breaking news story, more to follow...
