Covid: US approves Moderna as second vaccine

[uk666]

Covid: US approves Moderna as second vaccine

The US has become the first country in the world to approve the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for use.

It is the second vaccine to be given approval in the US and comes just days after the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer/BioNTech jab.

America is the first country in the world to give clearance for Moderna's job, and the vaccine is similar to the one already being rolled out.

President-elect Joe Biden, who is set to be vaccinated on Monday, said the authorisation of the Pfizer and the Moderna jabs "assures us that brighter days lie ahead". But, he added, "the fight against Covid-19 is not yet over."

"We know the immense challenges ahead, including scaling up manufacturing, distribution, and the monumental task of vaccinating hundreds of millions of Americans. We need to make sure we have the resources to do all of this and to do it quickly."

How does Moderna differ from the Pfizer vaccine?

It requires temperatures of around -20C for shipping - similar to a normal freezer.

The jab manufactured by US corporation Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech SE requires temperatures closer to -75C, making transport logistics much more difficult.

Like the Pfizer jab, the Moderna vaccine also requires a second booster shot. Moderna's second injection comes 28 days after the first, compared with 21 for Pfizer.

Moderna is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and had previously said that the "vast majority" of its doses would be manufactured there.

Pfizer/BioNTech is being manufactured in several countries, including Germany and Belgium.

Countries ordered the Moderna vaccine:

1. The US initially purchased 100 million doses of Moderna's vaccine, and last week agreed to buy 100 million more doses.
2. Canada plans to get two million doses by March - part of a total 56 million doses
3. The UK has already pre-ordered seven million doses
4. The European Union last month announced a contract to purchase of 80 million doses - with an option to purchase up to 80 million more - once the vaccine is deemed safe and effective
5. Japan has signed up for 50 million doses, South Korea for 20 million, and Switzerland has ordered 7.5 million.