The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to authorize emergency use of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine.
Distribution of around six million doses could begin next week. The vaccine, expected to receive federal approval on Friday, has shown a nearly 95 percent efficacy rate in a trial of 30,000 people, according to the FDA.
Side effects include fever, fatigue and fever. The agency said the side effects were common and unpleasant but not dangerous.
The F.D.A. said its analysis “supported a favorable safety profile, with no specific safety concerns identified that would preclude issuance of an emergency use authorization.”
Moderna’s six million doses joins the millions of doses distributed by Pfizer and BioNTech earlier this week, as healthcare workers began receiving the vaccine on Monday.
In Kentucky, the Pfizer vaccine has been distributed to over a dozen hospitals across the state, with healthcare workers receiving the initial doses on Monday. The vaccine has also been shipped to pharmacies for distribution to long-term care facilities’ residents and staff.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
