LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Drug manufacturer Pfizer said early data shows its COVID-19 vaccine is 90% effective. This does not mean a vaccine release is imminent, but it does mean the company is on track to request Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration soon. 

If the FDA grants that EUA, the White House Coronavirus Task Force decides how it will be rolled out. That task force has already said the first round of vaccines would go to health care workers, first responders, and nursing home patients. Even when a vaccine becomes available for others, experts warn the pandemic won't go away overnight.

“We need about 70% of the population vaccinated in order to get herd immunity to prevent the spread that we see happening to get back to our old, normal lives,” Louisville Metro Department for Public Health director Sarah Moyer said.

Getting 70% of the population vaccinated will be easier said than done. A survey from STAT and the Harris Poll found only 58% of U.S. respondents said they will get vaccinated as soon as it is an option for them. A concern from some was the political pressure to develop a vaccine to reopen the economy. Spectrum News 1 talked to UofL School of Medicine Dr. Jon Klein about public skepticism of a vaccine. He talked about this Pfizer vaccine and how the trial and approval process works.

"One of the interesting things about Pfizer is it is not part of Operation Warped Speed. They have accepted no federal funds from the federal government to do this,” Klein said.

Pfizer said early data finds the vaccine to be 90% effective. Dr. Klein said the FDA sets the bar at about 50% effectiveness, so 90% exceeds expectations. Dr. Moyer said this would be more effective than many other vaccines currently on the market. Klein explained the process behind determining the vaccine's effectiveness.

“Let’s start with the trial itself. There was a data and safety monitoring board of independent experts that were isolated from Pfizer and the scientists who were conducting the trial. It was that group that analyzed independently these results,” Klein said.

He also cautions that the information about the 90% effectiveness came from a Pfizer news release. It did not include the raw data. When Pfizer applies for FDA Emergency Use Authorization, Klein said that data will become public. That will allow people to look it over and draw their own conclusions.