What is a m-RNA Vaccine? (Call-in topic for The 1A -- 11 a.m. segment) - Wed. Nov. 25, 2020

 http://the1a.org/  

Since the start of the pandemic, the race to create an effective coronavirus vaccine has moved fast. If successful, these vaccine efforts would be the fastest developed in history. So far, the two leading companies developing a potential vaccine, Pfizer and Moderna, claim their mRNA vaccines are over 90 percent effective. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford have announced another vaccine with promising results.

Now, Pfizer is submitting an emergency use authorization request to the FDA as rates of infection and deaths rise higher than ever. That request could make the vaccine available for use in high-risk populations here in the U.S. by the end of December.

But what is an mRNA vaccine? Why was this one able to be released so quickly?

At 11 a.m. We’re answering your questions and giving you the latest update on the race for a coronavirus vaccine.

GUESTS

Angela Rasmussen

virologist, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health