Moderna Vaccine Will Be Authorized Friday and Millions of Doses Will Be Rolled Out Next Week, Says Report

The Food and Drug Administration is satisfied that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is highly protective for adults and is preparing to grant emergency authorization for it Friday, The New York Times reports. The FDA released data on Tuesday confirming Moderna’s earlier assessment that its vaccine had an efficacy rate of 94.1 percent in trials. It also confirmed that some people felt some side effects—such as fevers, headaches, and fatigue—but the agency found they were mild and not dangerous. According to the Times, distribution of about six million doses could then begin next week if authorization goes ahead as planned this Friday. Just like the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna inoculation requires two doses for immunization.