Authorities in the US have approved the emergency use of the Mordena vaccine, doubling the arsenal for the fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
It joins the Pfizer vaccine which went into distribution last week.
How does Moderna differ from the Pfizer vaccine?
It requires temperatures of around -20C for shipping – similar to a normal freezer.
The jab manufactured by US corporation Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech SE requires temperatures closer to -75C, making transport logistics much more difficult.
Like the Pfizer jab, the Moderna vaccine also requires a second booster shot. Moderna’s second injection comes 28 days after the first, compared with 21 for Pfizer.
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Modern-a is based in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, and had previously said that the “vast majority” of its doses would be manufactured there.
Pfizer/BioNTech is being manufactured in several countries, including Germany and Belgium.
Other countries have also ordered the Moderna vaccine:
Canada plans to get two million doses by March – part of a total 56 million doses
The UK has already pre-ordered seven million doses
The European Union last month announced a contract to purchase of 80 million doses – with an option to purchase up to 80 million more – once the vaccine is deemed safe and effective
Japan has signed up for 50 million doses, South Korea for 20 million, and Switzerlandhas ordered 7.5 million, according to data compiled by the Duke University Global Health Innovation Center
