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Another COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna, records 94.5% success

The quest for effective vaccines to combat the ravaging coronavirus has recorded another breakthrough with a United States-based biotech firm, Moderna Inc, saying on Monday that its experimental vaccine was 94.5 per cent effective in preventing the disease, according to an analysis of its clinical trial.
The report from multiple sources including BBC, Reuters and The Guardian comes a week after Pfizer and BioNTech said their vaccine was more than 90 per cent effective.
The results for both vaccines were from interim analyses of large clinical studies.
An interim analysis of the Moderna released on Monday, and based on 95 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infections found the candidate vaccine has an efficacy of 94.5 per cent.
In the result from the Moderna study, there were 30,000 volunteers; half got two doses of the vaccine 28 days apart; half got two shots of a placebo on the same schedule.
There were 95 instances of COVID-19 illness among the study participants — only five of those cases were in the vaccinated group. Ninety were in the group receiving the placebo.
Of these, there were said to be 11 cases of severe disease. The results indicate the vaccine was inducing the kind of immune response that protects people if they were exposed to the coronavirus.
Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, Stéphane Bancel, was quoted as saying in a statement, “This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease.”
Moderna said it had improved the shelf life and stability of its own vaccine, meaning that it can be stored at standard refrigeration temperatures of 2C to 8C for 30 days.
The company said it planned to apply to the US regulator, the Food and Drug Administration, for emergency-use authorisation in the coming weeks.
The results are the latest encouraging news to emerge from the breakneck effort to develop a vaccine against coronavirus and follow a similar interim analysis earlier this month from a collaboration between Pfizer and the German firm BioNTech, which suggest its vaccine is 90 per cent effective at preventing illness.
The Moderna vaccine is however not expected to be available outside the US until next year.
The biotech company said it would have 20m doses ready to ship in the US before the end of 2020 and hoped to manufacture 500 million to one billion doses globally next year.
So far, the UK does not stand to benefit from the vaccine. Moderna has agreed to provide the US with 100 million doses, with an option to buy 400m more. Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Qatar and Israel have also signed agreements, and the European commission has a “potential purchase agreement” for 80m-160m doses. The UK chose not to participate in the EU vaccine purchase scheme, with the health secretary, Matt Hancock, arguing in July that the government could source vaccine faster on its own. However, a Whitehall source said the UK government was in “advanced discussions” to procure doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The Moderna vaccine, which is based on similar mRNA technology as BioNTech’s, is expected to be assessed by the FDA on a final analysis of 151 COVID cases among trial participants who will be followed on average for more than two months.
If the results remain as impressive as the trial goes on, the Moderna vaccine could potentially provide a major advantage over the Pfizer vaccine.
While Pfizer’s vaccine requires ultracold freezing between -70C and -80C from production facility to patient, Moderna said it had improved the shelf life and stability of its own vaccine, meaning that it can be stored at standard refrigeration temperatures of 2C to 8C for 30 days.
It could be stored for six months at -20C for shipping and long-term storage, the company said.
Cost and side effects
At £38 to £45 for a course of two shots, Moderna’s vaccine is more expensive than the other frontrunners. AstraZeneca and Oxford University are aiming to sell their vaccine at about £3 a dose, while vaccines in trial with Johnson and Johnson and collaboration between Sanofi and GSK are both expected to cost about £8 a dose.
Pfizer is charging the US about £30 for a two-shot course. The UK has ordered 40 million Pfizer shots but none of the Moderna vaccine.
Moderna’s two-shot vaccine injects genetic material called mRNA into the body, which cells then use to churn out the spike protein the virus uses to invade cells.
The spike protein covers the surface of the virus and is one of the main targets of the body’s immune response to wipe out the infection.
A question mark that remains over the Pfizer vaccine is whether it prevents serious illness.
The Moderna results, released by an independent data safety monitoring board, are encouraging on this point. Of 11 participants who developed severe COVID while on the trial, all were in the placebo group. The results also suggest the vaccine is effective in older people and those from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Moderna’s interim analysis includes a safety review of data available so far.
The company said it had found no significant safety concerns, with most reactions being mild to moderate and short-lived.
Among the side effects reported is the injection site pain in 2.7 per cent of trial volunteers after the first jab.
After the second, the most significant side effects include fatigue in 9.7 per cent, muscle pain in nine per cent and joint pain in five per cent. Others had headaches; others pains, or redness at the injection site.
Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College, London, said the Moderna results were “tremendously exciting” and boosted optimism that a choice of good COVID vaccines would be available in the next few months.
News
Nigeria seeks fresh $300m W’Bank loan for health security

Nigeria seeks fresh $300m W’Bank loan for health security
The Federal Government has engaged the World Bank for a new $300 million loan aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s health security infrastructure.
According to World Bank documents, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will implement the project, with the Federal Ministry of Finance acting as the borrower.
The initiative aims to enhance Nigeria’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to health emergencies.
The project is currently in the pipeline stage, with a disclosure date set for February 6, 2025.
The World Bank Board is expected to approve it on July 30, 2025, after necessary appraisals and assessments. Implementation will commence in the 2026 fiscal year.
The Nigeria Health Security Programme (HeSP) will focus on expanding molecular laboratory capacity, upgrading primary healthcare centres, establishing emergency operation centres and deploying mobile laboratories.
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Others are constructing warehouses for medical supplies, installing water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities and integrating solar energy systems to power health infrastructure.
The initiative is part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s public health infrastructure, following lessons from past outbreaks, including COVID-19.
This latest loan request comes as Nigeria continues to rely heavily on external financing. Under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the Federal Government has secured $6.95 billion in World Bank loans over the past 18 months.
Data from the Debt Management Office shows that Nigeria owes the World Bank $17.32 billion, with the International Development Association (IDA) accounting for $16.84 billion.
In the first nine months of 2024, Nigeria spent $3.58 billion servicing its foreign debt, a 39.77% increase from $2.56 billion during the same period in 2023.
Nigeria seeks fresh $300m W’Bank loan for health security
News
CBN to sanction banks limiting ATM withdrawal below N20,000

CBN to sanction banks limiting ATM withdrawal below N20,000
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has threatened to sanction banks that limit Automated Teller Machines (ATM) withdrawal to less than N20,000 per transaction.
The apex bank disclosed this in a document addressing concerns over the reviewed fees on ATM withdrawal.
Recall that CBN on Tuesday increased ATM transaction withdrawal fees, saying, from March 1st, bank customers will pay N100 charge for every N20,000 withdrawal from the on-site ATM of other banks.
The CBN in a circular to banks and other financial institutions, the CBN said, “ATM Transaction Fees On-Us for customers withdrawing at the ATM of the customer’s financial institution in Nigeria with No charge.
“Not-On-Us for withdrawal from another institution’s ATM in Nigeria; On-site ATMs will attract a charge of N100 per N20,000 withdrawal.
“Off-site ATMs will attract a charge of N100 plus a surcharge of not more than N500 per N20,000 withdrawal.
“The surcharge, which is an income of the ATM deployer/acquirer, shall be disclosed at the point of withdrawal to the consumer.
“International Withdrawals (per transaction) whether debit/credit card: Cost Recovery – exact charge by international acquirer.
“Furthermore, the three free monthly withdrawals allowed for Remote-On-Us (other bank’s customers/Not-On-Us consumers) in Nigeria under Section 10.6.2 of the Guide shall no longer apply.”
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However, following widespread concerns over the limit on ATM cash withdrawal by banks, the apex and yesterday released a list Frequently Asked Question, FAQ, to clarify implementation of the new charge.
CBN to sanction banks limiting ATM withdrawal below N20,000
News
Google CEO meets Tinubu over AI skills expansion in Nigeria

Google CEO meets Tinubu over AI skills expansion in Nigeria
The CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai on Wednesday met with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu in Paris, where both leaders discussed a partnership to expand Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills in Nigeria.
Pichai first shared a picture of the meeting with Tinubu on X, noting that the discussions centered on the immense potential of AI in Nigeria.
“It was great meeting with President Tinubu @officialABAT.
“We talked about the immense potential of AI in Nigeria, and how we can partner to expand AI skills, enable innovation, and support Nigeria’s growing tech ecosystem,” Pichai posted.
Commitment to AI in Nigeria
Responding to the post, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who was also at the meeting, described the discussions as “extremely productive”.
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According to him, the meeting demonstrated the Nigerian government’s commitment to AI and Google’s ongoing support towards developing AI skills and innovation in critical sectors in Nigeria.
Last year, Google announced two separate AI initiatives in Nigeria in partnership with the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, both aimed at empowering Nigerians with AI skills.
In the first initiative, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), a N100 million AI Fund backed by Google to support Nigerian startups that are leveraging AI to develop innovative solutions.
The second initiative was a N2.8 billion support from Google to accelerate AI talent development across Nigeria.
According to the Ministry, the support, which was provided as a grant from Google.org to Data Science Nigeria, would bolster its ongoing AI-driven initiatives to upskill youth and under- and unemployed Nigerians, with a focus on AI skill development and education.
Google CEO meets Tinubu over AI skills expansion in Nigeria
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