COVID-19 NEWS
How long does the Moderna vaccine last?
Questions continue over the efficacy of the various covid-19 vaccines including the results of Moderna Inc's early trials over how long the antibodies remain.
Thanks to painstaking scientific work, there are already several covid-19 vaccines in circulation all over the world - AstraZeneca, Janssen, Sputnik, Pfizer, Moderna - and they are proving highly effective. But one of the great unknowns is the length of time the vaccines protect us against covid-19. We need more time to truly understand.
The most recent trial results have come out showing some interesting data on Moderna's offering.
Moderna vaccine antibodies last at least 6 months
A follow-up study of 33 people who received Moderna Inc's covid-19 vaccine in early trials show the antibodies it induced are still present six months after the second dose.
"Antibody activity remained high in all age groups," researchers said. They confirmed the findings using three different tests, according to a report on Tuesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Earlier this month, Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech SE said their vaccine using similar messenger RNA (mRNA) technology remained highly effective for at least six months.. The researchers conducting the Moderna vaccine study will continue to follow the same volunteers to see whether the antibodies last longer than six months.
They are also evaluating the potential for a booster dose to extend the duration of the antibodies and improve their potency against new more contagious variants of the coronavirus.
Biden targets 90% of US population vaccinated
With vaccine supply rapidly increasing in the US, President Joe Biden has been able to bring forward the date when 90% of the adult population will be eligible for the vaccine by almost two weeks.
Biden’s original goal for nationwide eligibility was 1 May. However the president announced a few days ago that eligibility would be extended to 90% of the population on 19 April, adding that the federal government would distribute a record 33 million doses this week.
Biden also confirmed that vaccination sites would be within five miles of an individual's home as his administration plans to increase the number of pharmacies in the federal pharmacy vaccination program from 17,000 to nearly 40,000 across the country, with a dozen more mass vaccination sites to be established by 19 April.
The president called on all states, tribes and territories to make the remaining 10% of US adults eligible for the vaccine by May 1.