News that a coronavirusvaccine might be available to our most vulnerable residents by the end ofDecember came amid a nationwide surge in cases, driven by rising numbers in theMidwest.

The drug company Pfizerannounced a vaccine candidate that is more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19,according to an early analysis of results from a phase III trial. Pfizer C.E.O.Albert Bourla appeared on major broadcast networks on Nov. 9.

Ninety-percent is a gamechanger. Now you are hoping to have a tool in your war against this pandemicthat could be significantly effective. How long this protection will last issomething we dont know right now, but its part of the objective of the study.We will follow up with the 44,000 people that are part of this study for twoyears. And during this follow-up, we will be looking at the durability of theimmune responses, Mr. Bourla said during an appearance on CNN.

The New York Times reportedon Nov. 9, If results hold up, that level of protection would put it on parwith highly effective childhood vaccines for diseases such as measles.

The promising results forthe Pfizer vaccine, now in late-stage clinical trials, were tempered by healthexperts who expressed cautious optimism. To date, no one, including Mr. Bourla hasseen the actual data, other than an independent data safety monitoring boardthat unblinded the data and informed Mr. Bourla of the results.

Science writer ClaireMaldarelli reported that Pfizers Phase III clinical trial enrolled 44,000people in July 2020, with about half of the cohort receiving the vaccine (intwo doses, given over the course of a month) and the rest getting a placeboToevaluate the vaccines effectiveness, the researchers had to wait for enoughpeople in the trial (in both the vaccine group and the placebo group) to catchCOVID-19. The first analysis is based on 94 participants who contracted thenovel viral illness.

But its worth noting thatPfizer hasnt been following participants for very long, so it remains to beseen how many people in the trail will contract the coronavirus in the long run,wrote Ms. Maldarelli in a Nov. 9 article titled Pfizer claims its COVID-19vaccine is 90 percent effective. Heres what that actually means, published onPopular Science Magazine.

Pfizer senior vice presidentKathrin Jansen told The New York Times that a 90% effectiveness rate means thatat most, nine people in the vaccine group of the trial have gotten COVID-19 sofar.

The vaccine trial is ongoingand results have not been peer reviewed. Pfizer has not reported any seriousside effects associated with the vaccine. The company says it will requestemergency use authorization from the FDA, possibly as early as the end ofNovember.

In addition to concernsabout durability, or long term effectiveness of the vaccine, scientists havevoiced concerns about distribution of a drug that needs to be stored at anextremely cold temperature of - 94 F and requires a second dose three weeksafter the first.

I believe, with theimpressive nature of the data, if that should go through smoothly, by the timewe get into December, well be able to have doses available for people who arejudged to be at the highest priority, said Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a reportto CNN on Nov. 10.

Health care workers andfirst responders could start receiving the vaccine by the end of January, andwidespread vaccination could begin in a number of months, possibly as early asApril, 2021.

Pfizer developed the vaccinein partnership with the German drug company, BioNTech, which uses a moleculethat has never before been license for ruse in a vaccine. It relies on geneticmaterial call messenger RNA (mRNA), which occurs naturally in the human body.

It works like aninstruction manual for our cells. It essentially is introduced to a cell andinstructs it how to act, reported Willem Marx, NBC News and GlobalCorrespondent.

The technology allows forinjection of mRNA into muscle cells, making it an instruction manual for thecells, telling them to create a specific protein, which is found on the surfaceof the coronavirus. It encourages the cells to create spike protein, which inturn provoke an immune response in our bodies. Antibodies are created that canattack the virus if it shows up in the human body.

The New York Times hasreported that eleven vaccines are in late-stage trials, including four in theUnited States. The drug company Moderna uses similar technology.

Johnson and JohnsonsCOVID-19 vaccine has also entered Phase III in clinical trials. The Johnson& Johnson vaccine is called a viral-vector vaccine, which is the onlysingle-dose vaccine to enter late-stage studies, according to the MarketWatchwebsite.

More than 1.25 millionpeople throughout the world have died from COID-19, and there are more than50.5 million confirmed cases, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University.The novel coronavirus continues to surge throughout the U.S., with particularlyhigh numbers in the Midwestern states.

Experts have attributed thealarming surge in cases to human behavior, primarily pandemic fatigue and anunwillingness take precautions that have been proven to slow the spread of thecoronavirus. Research has shown that people throughout the world can fight thebattle against the novel coronavirus by following the three Ws: Wear a mask;Wash Hands; Watch distance.

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