Vaccines Seek Emergency Approval | 2,000 People Died Of Covid-19 In The U.S. Thursday

Plus: Giuliani’s Wild Press Conference, Debunked: No Trump Campaign Voter Fraud Theories Are Holding Up In Court

TOPLINE

Pfizer and BioNTech will apply for emergency regulatory approval in the U.S. Friday for their Covid-19 vaccine—as the companies announced they would earlier this week—days after a clinical trial showed the vaccine to be 95% effective at preventing the disease. 

More than 2,000 Covid-19 deaths were recorded in the U.S. on Thursday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), making it the deadliest day of the pandemic since early May and various projections expect that number to grow considerably over the next few weeks.

KEY FACTS

This is the first time a company has sought regulatory approval for a Covid-19 vaccine which, if approved, will mark the first time a vaccine built using mRNA technology has made it to market.

The application comes days after the companies announced a 95% efficacy rate for the vaccine based on an extensive Phase 3 clinical trial involving more than 40,000 volunteers. 

The results show the highest efficacy rate of any late-stage Covid-19 vaccine in development — far higher than the 50% U.S. regulators had been willing to accept — and the companies report “no serious safety concerns” with the vaccine.

More Breaking News