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Moderna says COVID-19 vaccine "remains durable" with 93% efficacy through 6 months

05 August 2021
Dan Ackermann

Moderna said Thursday that its coronavirus vaccine was 93% effective against COVID-19 through six months after receiving the second dose.

Why it matters: The number shows that efficacy "remains durable" through that time, and hardly wanes from the 94.5% efficacy Moderna reported last November. But the clinical trial, which started in July 2020, was conducted before the Delta variant became the common strain in the U.S.

What they're saying: "We are pleased that our COVID-19 vaccine is showing durable efficacy of 93% through six months, but recognize that the Delta variant is a significant new threat so we must remain vigilant," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said.

Details: The company said that candidates who received a booster shot during a phase 2 trial produced "robust antibody responses" against the Delta and Gamma variants.

  • “Given this intersection, we believe dose 3 booster will likely be necessary prior to the winter season,” Moderna wrote, per CNBC.

Bancel said that the company is working to create a "a single dose annual booster" that protects against the virus, the flu and the respiratory syncytial virus for adults.

Yes, but: The World Health Organization on Wednesday asked countries to hold off on offering booster shots through at least September in order to allow for poorer countries to have access to doses.

  • In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration does not yet recommend getting a third vaccine dose.

What to watch: Moderna said it expects to finish its vaccine application for full approval from the FDA this month.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.