GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — Pfizer Pharmaceuticals says it has an effective coronavirus vaccine.
The company announced Monday that they’re planning to seek emergency use approval from the FDA sometimes this month. They say the vaccine is 90% effective.
“That’s pretty early data and we haven’t had a chance to review that publicly, but if they put out a statement like that, it must look pretty good,” Dr. Ashok Rai, President and CEO of Prevea Health, told WTAQ.
The Chickenpox and Measles vaccines, both of which were effective in suppressing the viruses they targeted, have around a 90% efficacy rate.
Even if the vaccine is as effective as advertised, we’re still likely months out from the end of the pandemic.
“You’re looking at months before the first people even get injected,” Rai said Monday.”Then to get enough people injected, it could be mid-2021 or even into the third quarter.”
Area hospitals have already had to give information to the federal government about their capability to effectively distribute a vaccine. It’s likely, Rai says, that the government would prioritize vaccine distribution to certain groups before the general public, such as healthcare workers and the elderly.
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