The excitement is building as reports of Stage 3 COVID-19 vaccine trials come in. However, we caution against the approach of favoring ones first through the gate. Or else we might overlook the strong promise from Moderna COVID vaccine in our haste. In reality, none of the candidates showed 100% effective, and we have unanswered questions.
An Analysis of the Strong Promise from Moderna COVID Vaccine
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at University of Minnesota provided a balanced assessment we share here. They confirm 94.5% efficacy against the coronavirus, although we must add Moderna bases this on the first 95 subjects to develop the disease. None the less, the strong promise from Moderna COVID vaccine comes across impressive:
1… Half the 30,000 subjects in the trial (Group A) received 2 doses, 2 weeks apart
2… The other half of 30,000 subjects (Group B) received 2 dummy doses, 2 weeks apart
3… The inoculated Group A developed 5 of the 95 COVID infections in the sample
4… While the control Group B developed 90 infections, 11 of which were severe
5… None of the 5 Group A infections developed into severe complications
‘The Overall Effectiveness Has Been Remarkable’
‘The overall effectiveness has been remarkable… it’s a great day,’ Tal Zaks told BBC News. He is chief medical officer at Moderna. While Dr. Stephen Hoge, company president said he ‘grinned ear to ear for a minute’.
However, CIDRAP cautions about jumping to conclusions too soon. That’s because Moderna provided scant details in its announcement over-and-above the raw score.
Moreover, Michael Osterholm, PhD and director of CIDRAP reminds us several months must pass before ‘large segments’ of the population benefits. In the interim, he says we will need to do everything we can to minimize transmission of the virus.
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