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US hoping for two COVID-19 vaccines by end of November

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United States — Two American companies expect to apply for emergency approval for their Covid-19 vaccines by late November, welcome news as the US …
United States — Two American companies expect to apply for emergency approval for their Covid-19 vaccines by late November, welcome news as the US hits a third surge of its coronavirus epidemic and approaches its eight millionth case. Pfizer said Friday it hopes to move ahead with its vaccine after safety data is available in the third week of November, a couple of weeks after the November 3 presidential election. The announcement means the United States could have two vaccines ready by the end of the year, with Massachusetts biotech firm Moderna aiming for November 25 to seek authorization. “So let me be clear, assuming positive data, Pfizer will apply for Emergency Authorization Use in the US soon after the safety milestone is achieved in the third week of November,” the company’s chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in an open letter. The news lifted the company’s shares two percent in the US. But experts warn that even when vaccines are approved, it will take many months until they are widely available. In any case, they are unlikely to be a good substitute for mask wearing, social distancing and other recommended behavior to curb transmission because we don’t know how effective they will be. After falling numbers throughout the summer, the country hit an inflection point in its coronavirus outbreak around the second week of September — with a new daily case average of more than 50,000 according to the latest figures, and the trajectory is upward.

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