Moderna COVID-19 vaccine authorized by US FDA, second vaccine after Pfizer

United States of America FDA authorized Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on Friday. Millions of doses will be shipped across country affected most by pandemic. This marks world’s first authorization for Moderna’s vaccine shots.  Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved by UK on December 2, followed by or countries including United States. 

US President Donald Trump congratulated Moderna. His tweet read:

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Millions of doses are set to arrive by Monday after Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and National Institutes of Health, as per AP reports. "With availability of two vaccines w for prevention of COVID-19, FDA has taken ar crucial step in fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in United States each day," said FDA Commissioner Stephen M Hahn to PTI.

Joe Biden to get vaccine on Monday

US President-elect Joe Biden and future first lady, Jill Biden, will reportedly get vaccine doses on Monday. US Vice President Mike Pence received Pfizer-BioNTech shot on live television, along with Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Friday, to assure people about effectiveness of vaccine.

"As Christmas holiday approaches, this is always a season of hope. We gar here today at end of a historic week to affirm to American people that hope is on way," Pence said.

 

READ | Pence Gets COVID-19 Vaccine, Calls It A "miracle"

Moderna vaccine is similar to Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech that is w being dispensed to millions of health care workers and nursing home residents.

'Science has done something amazing'

" two work better than we almost dared to hope,” National Institutes of Health (NIH)Director Dr. Francis Collins told Associated Press. “Science is working here, science has done something amazing.”

“Frankly if we don’t succeed in getting 80% or so of Americans immunized against COVID-19 by middle of this 2021 year, we have risk that this epidemic could go on and on and on,” Collins added. 

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company expects to have over 100 million doses available all around world in first quarter of 2021, with 85-100 million doses available in US, Moderna said.

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(With AP and PTI inputs)