11.13.20 (wired.com)
| The vaccine process nears a new phase, Biden plans his pandemic response, and the winter surge arrives. Here’s what you should know:Headlines Pfizer may soon have a vaccine—but challenges lie ahead Pfizer and BioNTech put out a press release this week announcing that its Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90 percent effective for participants who were definitely Covid-free before the trial started then developed symptomatic cases. So far, there have been no serious safety concerns. The first of its kind, this vaccine is made up of mRNA that helps the body make proteins that train the immune system to recognize SARS-CoV-2. Pfizer will likely have the safety data it needs to apply for FDA approval by the end of the month. If it’s greenlit, it will be the first mRNA vaccine cleared for use in humans. Moderna, which is also making an mRNA vaccine, is expected to release early data in the coming days as well.Though an approved vaccine would be exciting, distributing the Pfizer shot comes with its share of logistical problems. It requires two doses and must be stored at -94 degrees Fahrenheit or -70 degrees Celcius in order to be effective, which will make distribution across the US—not to mention worldwide—difficult and complicated. Then there’s the fraught question of who should get it first. Regardless, inoculating the whole world will require more than Pfizer’s vaccine alone. |