In contrast, the Pfizer vaccine needs to be transported and stored at temperatures below -60☌, needing dry ice and ultra-cold freezers. Moderna requires a -50☌ to -15☌ range during transport and long-term storage (until the expiration date is reached) and this can be achieved with standard freezers. Josh Bachman/AP What about storage and transport? ![]() Pfizer and Moderna offer similar levels of protection, but this drops lower for Pfizer after six months. No longer term effectiveness studies have been possible, as the wide-scale vaccine rollout only commenced at the end of 2020. Pfizer has reported similar data, with protection sitting at 84% after six months. ![]() Moderna recently announced no change in efficacy six months after participants received their COVID-19 vaccines, with a 93% protection against severe disease after six months, compared to 94% reported in the clinical trial. The benefits of a COVID vaccine far outweigh the small risk of treatable heart inflammationįor both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines the rates of anaphylaxis (extreme allergic reaction) are similar, and extremely low (two to four cases per million). These conditions are more common in young men and are generally treatable and not fatal most patients make a swift recovery. There is an association, but not a causal link between a slight increase in incidence of myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart) with both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Are there any side effects?īoth vaccines have some side effects common to most vaccines, including some soreness at the injection site, fatigue and headaches. Several studies, only some of which have been peer-reviewed, indicate both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are highly effective against the Delta variant, although there is a slight reduction compared to the original viral strain. The Moderna vaccine has been approved for emergency use in many countries including the United States, many European Union countries, Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel and India, among others. 95% effective at preventing hospitalisation.90% effective at preventing symptomatic infection.80-90% effective at preventing asymptomatic infection. ![]() Newer studies based on real-world data of millions of vaccinated people in many countries have shown Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are: What is the Moderna COVID vaccine? Does it work, and is it safe? Large phase 3 clinical trials showed the Moderna vaccine was 94% effective at preventing severe disease, and Pfizer was 95% effective. How effective is Moderna at preventing COVID-19? These differences may be due to those small technical differences highlighted above.Īlternatively, given the great urgency of developing and trialling the vaccines, it’s also plausible both manufacturers ran out of time to fully test different formulations and timelines, and simply went with the amounts and spacing that produced the desired results. Moderna doses are spaced four weeks apart rather than three. The dose spacing is also different: three weeks apart for Pfizer and four weeks for Moderna. How many doses for Moderna? And how far apart?ĭespite their similarities, the Moderna doses have more than three times the amount of mRNA material (100 micrograms), compared to Pfizer (30 micrograms). ![]() The two companies also use different oily coatings in their formulations. The two mRNAs are based on the same chemistry and produce the same spike protein variant.īut the mRNA sequences differ in two ways: the exact “wording” of the genetic code for the spike protein and the shorter portions outside the actual genetic code that determine its “readability”. The vaccines are remarkably similar overall, with just a few technical differences. Do Pfizer and Moderna work any differently? Shutterstockīody cells near the vaccine injection site will make the spike protein, display it on their surface and trigger the immune system to learn how to fight the actual virus if it encounters it. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is covered in spike proteins, shown here in red.
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