The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday has found the COVID-19 vaccine from drugmaker Moderna safe and 95% effective, moving it closer to federal approval for distribution.
On Thursday, a group of experts will convene in a public hearing to advise the agency on whether to grant the vaccine emergency authorization use.
The agency's report found the vaccine has "no specific safety concerns identified that would preclude issuance of an EUA." Minor side effects, including pain at the site of injection, fatigue and headaches were common but the FDA did not report any major side effects. The vaccine, however, is less effective (86%) in people age 65 and older.
Moderna's vaccine would be the second to receive FDA approval in one week. Last Thursday, Pfizer's vaccine rececived emergency authorization guse.
Hospitals across the country began to administer that shot yesterday.
