ATLANTA, Ga.- Moderna is the second company in the U.S. to report very positive results from COVID-19 vaccine trials. Dr. Anthony Fauci calls the 94.5% effective rate "truly outstanding."

Moderna is prepared to begin vaccinations in the second half of December with high-risk groups. The rest of the population will be able to be vaccinated in the spring. 30,000 people participated in Moderna trials, with 15,000 people receiving placebo shots. 90 people with placebos developed COVID-19, with 11 of those cases being serious. Only 5 of the people with the vaccine developed coronavirus and none of them became severely ill. There were no serious side effects with the vaccine.

Pfizer and Moderna used very similar techniques for the vaccine. They both use mRNA, a genetic recipe for making the spikes that sit atop the coronavirus. "There has always been skepticism about mRNA -- it's brand new and would it work? What we saw in the trials is there was no real safety concern, and the efficacy is quite impressive. We saw nearly identical results [with Pfizer and Moderna] and it almost really validates the mRNA platform," said Dr. Fauci

Moderna's vaccine seems to be more practical than Pfizer's. Pfizer's vaccine must be kept at -75 degrees Celsius, whereas Moderna's only has to be stored at -20, which many vaccines already need to be stored at, meaning many hospitals already have the infrastructure to keep the vaccine for 30 days. The Pfizer vaccine can only last 5 days in the freezer.

The company will apply to have the Food and Drug Administration authorize the vaccine by the end of the month.

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