Pfizer and Moderna vaccines 80% effective at preventing COVID-19 after one shot, CDC says
Two doses showed 90% effectiveness.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
The vaccines are not only effective at preventing symptoms.
A study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 80% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections two weeks after getting the first shot -- and 90% effective two weeks after the second dose. Previously, the vaccines were shown to be effective in preventing the symptoms of COVID-19. This study shows they help prevent people from contracting the coronavirus.
The CDC study followed almost 4,000 health care workers, first responders and other essential and front-line workers, giving them weekly COVID-19 tests for 13 weeks in a row after they were immunized.
Read more: 16 important do's and don'ts for getting your COVID-19 vaccine
The news comes the same day President Joe Biden announced 90% of adults will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by April 19, and that the majority of Americans will have a vaccination site within 5 miles of their home. Biden had previously said all adults in the US should be eligible for a vaccine by May 1.
Here's where to get a COVID-19 shot and how to track how many vaccines are available in your state.