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Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine may not bring life back to normal right away because it has not yet been proven to stop the deadly virus from spreading, the company’s chief doctor said.
Research has shown that the biotech firm’s shot is effective in preventing people from getting sick with COVID-19, but there is no hard evidence that it prevents them from carrying the virus “transiently” and potentially infecting others who have not been vaccinated, according to Dr Tal Zaks, chief medical officer of Moderna.
“I think we have to be careful, when we get vaccinated, not to overinterpret the results,” Zaks told Axios in a TV interview published Monday. “When we start rolling out this vaccine, we won’t have enough hard data to prove that this vaccine reduces transmission.”
“Do I think that reduces transmission?” Absolutely yes, and I say this because of the science, ”he added. “But in the absence of evidence, I think it’s important not to change behavior just on the basis of vaccination.”
Zaks comments offer another sign that it will take time for a vaccine to end the global pandemic and help the economy recover even as drugmakers are working at breakneck speed to produce a safe inoculation and efficient.
Massachusetts-based Moderna revealed last week that its investigational vaccine was nearly 95% effective in an advanced clinical trial. Pfizer and AstraZeneca have also reported that their injections are very effective in warding off COVID-19.
Pfizer asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to clear its vaccine for emergency use on Friday, and Moderna is expected to submit a similar request in the coming weeks. But the three companies will face the logistical challenge of distributing vaccines around the world once regulators approve the vaccines.
While U.S. officials say they plan to have millions of doses ready by the end of the year, a vaccine is not expected to be widely distributed until next spring.
Moderna’s stock price was roughly flat at $ 101 pre-market at 7:57 a.m. on Tuesday.
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