Name: With promising vaccine news, projecting what mass distribution will look like
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With promising vaccine news, projecting what mass distribution will look like

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You have permission to edit this article.MADISON (WKOW) -- After Monday's news that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine was nearly 95 percent effective in its Phase 3 trial, a UW doctor described the development as "a whole different ballgame.""There's a chance we could actually rid the world of this pandemic with the vaccines that we're seeing," said Dr. Bill Hartman, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.Hartman is leading the investigation into another COVID-19 vaccine UW is working to develop in partnership with AztraZeneca. After a , Hartman said Monday he hoped to have Phase 3 data ready for release by late December.Hartman said news of Moderna's successful run thus far was especially promising considering Pfizer's announcement last week its Phase 3 trial showed a 90 percent effectiveness rate. Hartman said, given the nature of a novel coronavirus, researchers would have been encouraged by a 50 percent effectiveness rate.Hartman said should Pfizer and Moderna get Emergency Use Authorizations from the FDA within the next few weeks, frontline healthcare workers would be the first to receive the vaccine."Their health is in jeopardy every day they go to work," Hartman said. "The next group of people, probably, the elderly, both in nursing homes and those at risk outside of nursing homes."Hartman said should both vaccines perform well under emergency use provisions, the general public could start receiving vaccinations in late spring or early summer 2021.Once it's time for large-scale public vaccinations, Hartman said it could look similar to the drive-up public testing at Alliant Energy Center.While doctors were excited about the vaccine developments, they also warned that, amid record cases and hospitalizations, it still projects to be a horrible winter, especially if people ignore guidance on masks and avoiding large gatherings."The next two to three months are going to be very difficult, no matter what," said Dr. Robert Citronberg, Executive Medical Director, Infectious Disease &amp; Prevention at Advocate Aurora Health. "But there clearly is light at the end of the tunnel; that light is the vaccine news."A new type of vaccineBoth the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, a new development that has not previously been approved for public distribution.The way mRNA vaccines work is by using a When it's injected into the body, the cells learn to recognize the sequence and develop antibodies that can fight it off."The cells in the body can generate that spike protein that you see on the virus," Hartman said. "They can generate that spike with this code."Since mRNA vaccines do not use infectious elements, researchers are optimistic this can be a safer vaccine model. Since it is a new technology, researchers, including Hartman, caution there's still a lot to learn about what a mass vaccination would look like with mRNA options.Pfizer and Moderna are the only two COVID-19 vaccine candidates using mRNA technology. Moderna has said it can produce 10 million doses by the end of 2020 and 100 million doses in 2021."This type of technology has never been attempted at a massive scale like this," Hartman said. "So it will be interesting to see how we can go from where we are right now to 10 million doses."A key differenceHartman said there's particular optimism around the Moderna vaccine because its characteristics lend itself to easier mass distribution. While Pfizer's vaccine needs to be stored in -100°F temperatures, Moderna's can survive at regular freezer temperatures."The fact it is so stable in these conditions suggests it would be much more available to rural communities, to other countries," Hartman said.Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would require two doses so Hartman cautioned that whenever people hear about total doses a pharmaceutical company can produce, they should remember it will serve half that many people."When we hear 10 million doses are available by the end of the year, that really means five million people can be treated effectively," he said.© Copyright 2022 , 5727 Tokay Boulevard, Madison, WI&nbsp;| &nbsp;|Powered by from .

You have permission to edit this article.MADISON (WKOW) -- After Monday's news that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine was nearly 95 percent effective in its Phase 3 trial, a UW doctor described the development as "a whole different ballgame.""There's a chance we could actually rid the world of this pandemic with the vaccines that we're seeing," said Dr. Bill Hartman, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.Hartman is leading the investigation into another COVID-19 vaccine UW is working to develop in partnership with AztraZeneca. After a , Hartman...

With promising vaccine news, projecting what mass distribution will look like

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