NEW YORK- An early analysis of the coronavirus vaccine trial suggested that Pfizer and their partner, BioNTech's, vaccine is highly effective. The details of the vaccine are sparse and the clinical trial was done by an outside panel of experts. Only few vaccines have ever had a 90% rate of effectiveness and puts it on par with the vaccines for childhood diseases such as measles.

Pfizer said there have been no serious safety concerns. Later this month, the company plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration for immediate authorization. The vaccine in its current form is two doses, and Pfizer said that 15 to 20 million doses are expected to be manufactured by the end of this year.

“This was a devastating situation, a pandemic, and we have embarked on a path and a goal that nobody ever has achieved — to come up with a vaccine within a year," said Dr. Kathrin Jansen, VP and Head of Vaccine Research at Pfizer.

Pfizer has secured $1.95 billion to deliver 100 million doses through Operation Warp Speed and will be given to Americans free of charge. The company is the only one of the front runners that did not take any money from the federal government for research and development. Dr. Jansen says they are only a part of Operation Warp Speed as a supplier. The company also highlighted that the vaccine announcement had nothing to do with the culmination of the election.

The efficacy rate could go down as the trial goes on. It is also important to note that the news was broken in a news release, not a peer-reviewed medical journal. Scientists have cautioned against the first vaccine as long-term safety and efficacy data has yet to be possible. However, Pfizer is still the first company to announce results like this. Four out of eleven vaccines that are in late stage trials come from the U.S., with Moderna's vaccine being very similar to Pfizer's.

The vaccine is made with mRNA, which means the vaccines will need to be kept at ultra cold temperatures. This will present the next set of challenges for the world once the vaccines are ready to be injected in the general public.

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