전세계 코로나19백신 3상 단계…"백신 출시 임박"<br /><br />In the race to develop vaccines, the American firms Moderna and Pfizer are the front-runners… both reporting that their vaccine candidates are more than 90 percent effective.<br />The vaccines are both of a type that's never been approved before, but they do have some key differences.<br />Our Min Suk-hyen takes a closer look.<br />The World Health Organization has so far listed 202 COVID-19 vaccine candidates, 47 of which are currently undergoing clinical human trials.<br />At least ten are in the third and final phase of testing, and those include vaccines by U.S. pharmaceutical giants Moderna and Pfizer.<br />On Monday, Moderna said preliminary data show its vaccine to be 94-point-5 percent effective.<br />The announcement came a week after Pfizer said its vaccine had an efficacy rate of more than 90 percent.<br />A key difference between the two vaccines, however, is the temperature at which they need to be stored.<br />Pfizer's vaccine needs to be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius, which would require special freezers.<br />On the other hand, Moderna's vaccine can be kept at a normal refrigerator temperature of two to eight degrees Celsius for up to 30 days.<br />For longer periods of up to six months, it should be stored at minus 20 degrees, a temperature more feasible than the Pfizer vaccine for distribution.<br />Both vaccines require two doses seperated by several weeks, and they use a new vaccine technology.<br />Unlike conventional vaccines, which involve injecting an inert or weakened version of a virus into the body, ... the mRNA doesn't require injecting a virus.<br />These vaccines instruct the body's cells to create viral proteins, which the body detects, triggering an immune response.<br />The CEO of Pfizer told reporters on Tuesday that the company is preparing to apply for emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.<br />If that's received, Pfizer's will be the first-ever authorized vaccine using the mRNA method.<br />U.S. health officials are feeling confident that these first candidates are on the right track.<br />"I'm confident that when the FDA approves those vaccines and so far there's been two that have been really quite effective, efficacious, and there will be more that I would, without hesitation, take the vaccine..."<br />As for other countries, Russia recently announced that its vaccine is 92 percent effective,... and China's vaccine is also in the final stage of testing.<br />Min Suk-hyen, Arirang News.<br />
