Experimental Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Is Nearly 95% Effective, Early Results Show

The news comes as at least 45 states are reporting an uptick in cases and a week after competitor Pfizer Inc. announced its own experimental vaccine is 90% effective.

Moderna’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine is nearly 95% effective, the company announced Monday, citing preliminary results of its ongoing study. The news comes as at least 45 states are reporting an uptick in cases and a week after competitor Pfizer Inc. announced its own experimental vaccine is 90% effective.

Of the 30,000 volunteers who participated in Moderna’s study, 95 of them got COVID-19. Of those 95, 90 had received a placebo and five received the vaccine, which requires two shots 28 days apart.

Inside Edition spoke to Hackensack newspaper reporter Lindy Washburn about what it was like to volunteer for Moderna’s study.

“It is so good to see some light, however distant, at the end of the tunnel,” Washburn said, adding that she did suffer some mild side effects, including a sore arm, a slight fever and fatigue.

“I felt that the side effects were very minor and very fleeting. And if that’s the price to pay for a protection against a disease that can kill you, I think it’s well worth it,” Washburn said.

Unlike Pfizer’s vaccine, Moderna’s does not have to be stored at ultra-low temperatures using special equipment.

“This vaccine from Moderna can be stored at 25 degrees Fahrenheit, which is basically a freezer,” Dr. Oz told Inside Edition. “Which means it’s easier to roll it out to big box stores, pharmacies, grocery stores—you got to get the vaccine where people live in order for them to get the vaccine.”

RELATED STORIES