Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine Proves 90 Percent Effective in Latest Trials

The Wall Street Journal reports that early analysis indicated a coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was more than 90 percent effective in protecting against COVID-19, which was better than expected. Pfizer said it is on track to ask health regulators to sell the vaccine before the end of this month, if pending data shows it is safe. The company added that it is on pace to gather at least two months of safety data during the third week of November, and could file for an emergency authorization soon after. The two-dose vaccine uses mRNA, which induces cells to produce a synthetic version of the spike protein that protrudes from the surface of the new coronavirus. This protein triggers the immune system to defend against the pathogen. "You have to be encouraged by this," said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "It certainly looks like things are trending in the direction for protection."