This is another strong step towards pandemic control, most experts say. However, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that vaccines alone are ‘not enough to end a pandemic’.
“… It should be stressed that vaccines will support the tools we have, not replace them. Vaccines alone will not end the pandemic. We will still have to continue surveillance measures, testing, isolation and patient care. There is still a need to track contacts, communities still have to participate in anti-epidemic action, individuals still have to be cautious. We still have a long way to go. ” Mr. Tedros Adhanom – WHO Director General said.
On November 16, the US-based Moderna Biotechnology Company announced that the company’s COVID-19 vaccine was 94.5% effective, based on interim data on end-stage clinical trials.
In the clinical trial of 95 out of 30,000 participants, there were only five cases of viral infection among those who received two shots, each 28 days apart, Moderna said.
Thus, the US may have two vaccines authorized for emergency use next December with 60 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine also proven to be more effective than 90% earlier.