News Desk :
The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to protect 94% of adults over 65 years old.
More data released from their ongoing phase three trial suggests it works equally well in people of all ages, races and ethnicities, accroding to BBC.
The companies say they will now apply for authorisation for emergency use of the jab in the US. The findings are based on two doses given to more than 41,000 people around the world.
Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech published preliminary data showing the vaccine offered 90% protection against Covid-19 and there were no safety concerns.
This was followed by impressive data on another vaccine, made by US company Moderna, suggesting nearly 95% protection.
Today’s data from Pfizer and BioNTech is based on 170 cases of Covid-10 in volunteers, with just eight in the group given the vaccine. The companies say there were no serious side-effects, but they did notice headaches and fatigue in around 2% of volunteers given the vaccine.
In the trial, 42% of all participants are from diverse ethnic backgrounds and 41% are aged between 56 and 85 years old.
The companies expect to produce up to 50 million vaccine doses this year and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.
