Drug company Pfizer announced the expected effectiveness of its coronavirus vaccine

By Maia Irvin 

On Monday, the drug-making company Pfizer announced an analysis of its coronavirus vaccine trial suggested the vaccine was effective in preventing the virus, according to news sources. 

Pfizer and German biotechnology firm BioNTech developed this vaccine, according to The Washington Post. This coronavirus vaccine is one of four in the U.S. that is in the last stages of testing, the Post reported. 

A review of this vaccine found that it was more than 90% effective in preventing the virus among those with no evidence of prior infection, according to The New York Times. The clinical trial involved 44,000 people, and so far, there have only been 94 cases of COVID-19 in those who were not previously infected, according to the Post. 

Pfizer plans to ask the FDA for emergency authorization of the vaccine after the third week of November, the Post reported. 

Independent scientists still urge caution though against hyping up these results, the Times reported. 

"We need to see the actual data, and we're going to need longer-term results," Jesse Goodmann, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Georgetown University said, according to the Times. 

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