Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine will provide immunity against the disease for at least a year, the biotech company said per Reuters Monday.
Why it matters: Moderna’s vaccine is one of two vaccines now approved for emergency use in the US, as the number of coronavirus cases exceeds 22.5 million nationally and 90.8 million worldwide.
The big picture: Moderna expects to deliver approximately 600 million to 1 billion doses by 2021.
- The US has purchased a total of 200 million doses of Moderna.
- The company has signed agreements with several other countries, including Japan, Canada and Israel, raising hopes as the number of worldwide cases approaches 91 million.
- The United Kingdom and the European Medicines Agency of the EU approved the vaccine this week.
Yes but: The World Health Organization warned Monday that herd immunity is unlikely this year, despite the introduction of vaccines in countries around the world.