Latest vaccine success is good news but high price may restrict access
Moderna results show Pfizer success was not flash in the pan, but poorer countries may have to look elsewhere
The success of Moderna's vaccine against Covid-19 is reason for the whole world to cheer. The results from an interim analysis of the trial data are remarkably similar to those of Pfizer/BioNTech a week ago. Most people - Moderna says 94.5% in its trial, Pfizer said more than 90% - were protected from illness.
It's fantastic news. It means the concept works. Pfizer's results were not a flash in the pan. Both vaccines have been developed using a new technology that has never produced a licensed vaccine before, called messenger RNA (mRNA), which some hail as the future of all vaccines. It has the potential to deliver vaccines for all sorts of diseases cheaply and safely, enthusiasts say. And, crucially for the time being, they are likely to help us out of the Covid pandemic.
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