On November 9, Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company, updated the world that their trial for the Covid-19 vaccine was extremely effective and are near completion for a vaccine to be available to the people. 

As the Coronavirus rages on and many across the world are preparing for another wave of the virus to hit their cities, Pfizer has relieved the world with an update on the vaccine they have been working on. The trials have been tested in the United States on large scales according to Stat News.

“The companies said an early analysis of the results showed that individuals who received two injections of the vaccine three weeks apart experienced more than 90% fewer cases of symptomatic Covid-19 than those who received a placebo,” according to an article with Stat News.

In an interview with Stat News, Senior Vice President of Pfizer, William Gruber said, “I’ve seen some really good things. This is extraordinary.” He later added: “This really bodes well for us being able to get a handle on the epidemic and get us out of this situation.”

The vaccine uses the never-before-approved technology called messenger RNA, or mRNA. Those who are vaccinated will have a spark in an immune response. Doctor Anthony Fauci told CNN, “This shows that the mRNA platform actually does work. And there’s another candidate, Moderna, that’s using the same platform.”

Moderna announced on Nov. 16 that their vaccine showed similar results to Pfizer’s.

According to CNN.com, there is a structure the virus has that is called the spike protein to grapple the cells it attacks. This causes the body to create little copies of the structure.

This information is a relief to hear after the United States has already experienced over 250,000 deaths from Covid-19. As a new president will be introduced within months, it is good to see that maybe we are close to getting a grip on the pandemic. If the vaccine is finished and approved we can see the widespread shipment of the vaccines across the country, and hopefully across the world.

Even though the future could be bright with this vaccine, nothing is confirmed yet. There is still no information regarding whether the vaccine will prevent people from carrying the virus. In the article with Stat News it is stated, “Because the vaccine has been studied for only a matter of months, it is impossible to say how long it will protect against infection with the virus.”

If the tests and trials prove to be successful, Pfizer would be able to mass-produce the vaccine. In the article with Stat, it is stated that the virus, “if authorized, will be limited. Pfizer says up to 50 million doses could be available globally. by the end of the year, with 1.3 billion available in 2021.”

We will continue to follow the updates on the newly developed vaccine. Everyone has been deeply impacted by this pandemic and this new breakthrough will hopefully have people returning to their normal, pre-2020 lives. 

As technology and medicine continue to advance, we can help stop the spread of this virus by continuing social distance, wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings.