Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine expected to provide immunity for 1 year

Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine will provide immunity from the disease for at least one year, the biotech company said Monday per Reuters.

Why it matters: Moderna’s vaccine is one of two now authorized for emergency use in the U.S., as coronavirus cases surge past 22.5 million nationally and 90.8 million globally.

The big picture: Moderna expects to deliver around 600 million to 1 billion doses in 2021.

  • The U.S. has purchased a total of 200 million doses from Moderna.
  • The company has signed agreements with several other countries including Japan, Canada and Israel, boosting hope as the number of global cases nears 91 million.
  • The United Kingdom and the EU’s European Medicines Agency approved the vaccine this week.

Yes, but: The World Health Organization cautioned on Monday that herd immunity is unlikely this year despite the vaccine rollout in countries around the world.

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