Pfizer coronavirus vaccine passes safety checks and is 95% effective
The vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised.
The Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer has passed safety checks and is 95% effective against the virus the firm announced today.
The pharmaceutical giant and its partner BioNTech first published interim results last week which showed the jab could prevent more than 90% of people developing coronavirus. This data was based on the first 94 volunteers to develop Covid-19.
But further figures released on today are based on the first 170 cases of the virus in the clinical trial - and show a higher efficacy rate.
The vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised. On Tuesday, Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla said the firm is now preparing to file for emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the NHS will be ready by December 1 to roll out any successful vaccine.
The UK has secured 40 million doses in total of the vaccine, with 10 million due in the country by the end of the year provided the jab is approved.
However people will need two doses, meaning not enough vaccine has been secured for the entire UK population. But the government has already produced a priority list outlining who will be first to receive a jab.
The Pfizer vaccine has been shown to produce both an antibody and T-cell response in the body to fight coronavirus. Pfizer and BioNTech expect to be able to produce up to 50 million vaccine doses globally in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion in 2021.
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