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Moderna says studies show COVID-19 vaccine 90% effective after 6 months

By Don Johnson
Moderna says it's so far delivered about 132 million doses of its vaccine worldwide and plans to deliver another 100 million doses by end of July. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
1 of 5 | Moderna says it's so far delivered about 132 million doses of its vaccine worldwide and plans to deliver another 100 million doses by end of July. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

April 14 (UPI) -- Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine protects recipients against the coronavirus for up to six months with a 90% efficacy rate after the second dose, the biotech company says.

Moderna, one of three companies that have vaccines approved for use in the United States, announced the results Tuesday in a report on studies of the shot's effectiveness.

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According to Phase 3 studies, Moderna said, the vaccine also was more than 95% effective against severe cases after six months.

Tuesday's report mirrored findings announced last week by researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and is similar to conclusions Pfizer reported for its vaccine two weeks ago.

Moderna said the Phase 3 results for its vaccine are preliminary.

The ongoing study is part of the process toward full regulatory approval so the company can market the vaccine to customers and sell to U.S. companies. Full approval from the Food and Drug Administration takes longer to receive than emergency use authorization.

"The new preclinical data on our variant-specific vaccine candidates give us confidence that we can proactively address emerging variants," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.

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"Moderna will make as many updates to our COVID-19 vaccine as necessary until the pandemic is under control."

The new data evaluated about 900 cases and more than 100 severe cases.

Moderna says it's so far delivered about 132 million doses of its vaccine worldwide and plans to deliver another 100 million doses by end of July.

The FDA has given emergency approval to Moderna's vaccine for recipients over 18. The company has been testing its vaccine for children between 12 and 17, and is beginning trials for children 6 months to 11 years old.

Moderna and Pfizer both use messenger RNA in their vaccines, whereas the shot by Johnson & Johnson is adenovirus-based. U.S. regulators on Tuesday recommended a pause in administration of the Johnson & Johnson shot over a possible link to a few cases of blood clotting.

A year in pandemic: How COVID-19 changed the world

January 31, 2020
National Institutes of Health official Dr. Anthony Fauci (C) speaks about the coronavirus during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Azar (L) announced that the United States is declaring the virus a public health emergency and issued a federal quarantine order of 14 days for 195 Americans. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo

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