Moderna seeks emergency approval for its Covid vaccine

Final test results show the US company's shots offer 94 per cent efficacy

Pupils arrange their books following the reopening of their school, in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

An Iraqi teacher sorts the school books until they are handed over to pupils after schools reopen in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

People wear face masks on a road during a 'smart lockdown' in Karachi, Pakistan. EPA

Nurse Carolina Garcia takes care of her father, Jose Garcia, who is intubated and sedated at Memorial Medical Centre in Las Cruces, New Mexico, US. Reuters

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Relatives of a man who died of coronavirus related complications wait to cremate his body at Vadaj Cemetery in Ahmedabad, India. AP Photo

People visit the beach a day before renewed restrictions due to a surge of Covid-19 cases in Los Angeles, California, US. Reuters

Faithful attend the mass at St Roch Church in Paris, France. Churches have reopened in France with a maximum capacity of 30 people after being closed since October 30, 2020, due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. EPA

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The traditional Christmas tree of the Galeries Lafayette department store stands under its great dome in Paris. French stores can reopen starting November 28 after several weeks of lockdown. EPA

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Special Task Force personnel deploy at Mahara prison on the outskirts of Colombo a day after a prison riot over the surge of coronavirus infections. AFP

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Moderna will ask US and European regulators on Monday to allow emergency use of its Covid-19 vaccine as new study results confirm the shots offer strong protection.

Several vaccine candidates must succeed for the world to stamp out the worsening pandemic.

Moderna is just behind Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech in seeking to begin vaccinations in the US in December. Pfizer's vaccine is also due to be approved in the UK in the coming days.

Moderna had already clamed its vaccine is up to 95 per cent effective and has now said its final batch of test results confirm the figure to be 94 per cent.

“I allowed myself to cry for the first time,” said the company's chief medical officer, Dr Tal Zaks, on learning the results. “We have already, just in the trial, saved lives. Just imagine the impact then multiplied to the people who can get this vaccine.”

Here is the story of how it was made at warp speed.

Moderna said the vaccine's proven safety record shows it meets the standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use, before final-stage testing is complete.

The European Medicines Agency also signalled that it is open to faster emergency clearance.