There is optimism today as two COVID-19 vaccines may be available to the general public much sooner than has been expected. Pfizer and BioNTech is one of the first global pharmaceutical teams developing a potential COVID-19 vaccine to announce their results of a large scale study of effectiveness. (Previous announcements had focused on early safety studies.) Key developments in their ongoing efforts have been released, appearing to significantly improve the public health expert estimates for timelines of availability and percentages of effectiveness.

Then Moderna, developing a very similar vaccine, also using messenger rNA, announced its product appears even more effective, plus is much more stable and does not require transportation and storage at extreme sub-zero temperatures. 

The vaccine regimens, expected to be more widely available in the 2rd quarter of 2021, would each consist of two shots, yielding between 90% -94% effectiveness after 28 days following the second vaccination. 

Population health experts had stated they would be pleased with an effectiveness percentage from 60-80%.

However, the companies issued press releases, and very little clinical data. It is not yet known how long protection could last, how much symptoms may be reduced or eliminated, or whether vaccinated individuals can still spread the virus. 

News of these developments is causing key market indicators to rise, especially stock values in markets such as airlines.