‘That the mRNA-1273 Covid-19 and the BNT162b2 Covid-19 vaccines protect with near-identical 94 to 95% vaccine efficacies — and that both vaccines were developed and tested in less than a year — are extraordinary scientific and medical triumphs. This happened because the scientific community was prepared from years of technology development for other vaccines, such as those against HIV, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and Zika, and because clinical trials consortia were established that rapidly carried out Covid-19 efficacy trials. If mRNA-LNP vaccines significantly contribute to control of the pandemic, mRNA technology has the potential to radically change vaccine design for future viral outbreaks.
‘Although the Covid-19 pandemic is currently raging, the prospects for control of this and future pandemics are bright. The recent FDA issuance of EUAs for these extraordinarily protective vaccines provide us with much-needed hope at a time when so many are suffering. The next challenge is to get these and the next Covid-19 vaccines to the people most at risk as quickly as possible.’
Read here (New England Journal of Medicine, Feb 4, 2020)
