By
Tolu Ajiboye
December 13th, 2023
The potential efficacy in the approved Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is spurring a delay in second dose administration by some nations, especially those with limited supplies of the jabs.
A new research study released by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed that the COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA) and that from the duo of Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (NASDAQ: BNTX) are effective in preventing the novel coronavirus by 80% after the first shot as well as in shielding against asymptomatic infections.
The study, released on Monday spanned for 13 weeks from Dec. 14, 2020, to March 13, 2021, and involves 3,950 participants including healthcare workers, and first responders spread across six US states. After the participants were given their first shots, they were continually monitored and tested on a weekly basis for the entire duration in order to detect any asymptomatic infection. During the study, at least 74% of the participants received one or two shots.
The study revealed the vaccines were 80% effective in preventing any infection two weeks after the first dose was administered, and by 90% after the second dose.
“The authorized mRNA COVID-19 vaccines provided early, substantial real-world protection against infection for our nation’s healthcare personnel, first responders, and other frontline essential workers,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.
Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines employ the mRNA technology and it involves building a synthetic version of the natural chemical messenger to recreate the outer surface of the COVID-19 virus for the body to recognize and develop a defense system to attack it
The good update confirmed the series of studies from the companies detailing the potency of their vaccines and investors are riding on this news to go bullish on the stocks. Pfizer shares closed Monday session with a 1.02% gain to $36.62 while BioNTech ended the session with a 0.16% surge to $95.91 while Moderna shares took a sharp plunge, closing 7.40% on Monday to $123.42. However, the shares are rebounding in the pre-market and are up 0.88% at the time of writing.
Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines Efficacy: The Second Shot Delay
The potential efficacy in the approved Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is spurring a delay in second dose administration by some nations, especially those with limited supplies of the jabs. The rationale is that since enough potency is offered in the first round, more equitable distribution is best ensured before a general second dose is administered.
According to Reuters, the United Kingdom and Canada are renowned for extending the gaps between the first and second doses by three to four months. It is however worthy to note the CDC reiterated that irrespective of the efficacy potentials shown after the first dose, a higher level of protection is guaranteed once the second dose is administered.
Per distribution of manufactured vaccines, Moderna has delivered 100 million vaccines to the United States. Through July, the company aims to deliver as much as 40 to 50 million more doses to the US in order to meet its contractual obligations.