COLUMBUS, Ohio — Co-investigator of the Moderna Vaccine Trial at UC and UC Health, Dr. Margaret Powers-Fletcher, joins MaryLee Melendez to discuss its role and the success. 

What You Need To Know

  • UC and UC Health have been conducting a trial on the vaccine here in Cincinnati with 188 enrolled

  • The first dose was administered on Aug. 25, and the final participant was enrolled on Oct. 23

  • It surpassed 40% enrollment of diverse populations, almost half of study participants are non-white

  • Moderna says it plans to have around 20 million doses of the vaccine ready to ship by the end of 2020
 

Watch the full interview in the video above. 

Moderna's news comes just a week after Pfizer announced its vaccine is 90% effective. With two big vaccines expected to be completed by the end of the year, health officials are urging to people to not hesitate to get one as soon as they become available. 

“I can tell you I myself would not hesitate when my turn comes to take such a vaccine and to recommend to my family that they also take the vaccine,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

However, if both of these vaccines receive emergency approval by the end of the year, supplies are limited and populations will be prioritized. Fauci said recently on a CNN interview that most likely, the shot will go to most at-risk populations like health care workers and the elderly. He added a vaccine could be widely available by the spring.