Information You Need: Vaccine Update
Two vaccine candidates created by Pfizer and Moderna have completed their phase three trials during November. Although results from these trials are preliminary and do not contain exact information regarding how long immunity would last, they are very promising. Plans for distributing the vaccine are still in progress, but frontline healthcare workers are likely to receive the first doses. Vaccine production will need to keep up with high demand, so stay up to date with AZCOVIDTXT for any new information regarding the vaccine. Use the table below for more information regarding the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine candidates:
| Pfizer | Moderna | What you need to know | |
| Phase three trial efficacy: | 95% efficacy | 94.5% efficacy | Efficacy refers to the percentage of disease reduced in the vaccinated group compared to the placebo group. For comparison, 95% efficacy is almost equally as effective as the MMR vaccine (e.g., 97% effective after 2 doses), and much more effective than the seasonal flu vaccine, which ranges from 40-60% effectiveness each year. |
| Phase three results: | Over 44,000 total volunteers Half received two doses of the vaccine, the other half received a placebo 170 volunteers tested positive for COVID-19, only 8 of which were in the vaccinated group | 30,000 total volunteers Half received two doses of the vaccine, the other half received a placebo 95 total volunteers tested positive for COVID-19, only 5 of which received the vaccine 11 cases of severe COVID-19 in the placebo group | Few positive COVID-19 cases in the vaccination group speaks to the effectiveness of both vaccine candidates |
| Number of doses needed and timing: | Two doses, 21 days apart | Two doses, 28 days apart | It is essential to take the same vaccine for both doses. So be sure to ask and remember which vaccine you received first or work with the same healthcare provider to receive both doses. It is also important to take both doses. The second dose will “boost” the immune system and make it respond stronger if it encounters the actual virus. |
| Known side effects: | Pain at injection site Fatigue Body aches (1-2 days) | Pain at injection site Fatigue Body aches (1-2 days) | The reported side effects are mild to moderate and appear to be similar to side effects experienced from a flu shot. |
| Must be stored at: | Minus 75 degrees celsius | Minus 20 degrees celsius | How the vaccine is stored impacts how the vaccine is distributed. If it can be stored at minus 20 that means it is easier to get to remote areas for distribution and won’t require expensive equipment. |
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