A major breakthrough was announced earlier today regarding the search for a coronavirus vaccine, when pharmaceutical firm Pfizer announed its jab was found to be more than 90 per cent effective.
The interim analysis results from pharmaceutical giant and its partner BioNTech have left many hopeful the jab could prevent people from developing Covid-19.
READ MORE: Pfizer says Covid-19 vaccine is '90 per cent' effective
Dr Albert Bourla, Pfizer chairman and chief executive, said: “Today is a great day for science and humanity,” while Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases and global health at the University of Oxford, said the news made him "smile from ear to ear.”
But what exactly is the vaccine and what does it mean for you? Here's what we know so far.
Is it big news?
In a word, yes - although these are only interim findings and studies will have to continue.
So far, the vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised.
Pfizer plans to apply to the US regulator the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month.
The analysis, announced today, was carried out after 94 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were found among those taking part in the trial.
What type of vaccine is it?
The jab is known as a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine.
Conventional vaccines are produced using weakened forms of the virus, but mRNAs use only the virus’s genetic code.
An mRNA vaccine is injected into the body where it enters cells and tells them to create antigens.
These antigens are recognised by the immune system and prepare it to fight coronavirus.
What are the advantages of this type of vaccine?
No actual virus is needed to create an mRNA vaccine. This means the rate at which the vaccine can be produced is dramatically accelerated.
As a result, mRNA vaccines have been hailed as potentially offering a rapid solution to new outbreaks of infectious diseases.
They can also be modified reasonably quickly if, for example, a virus develops mutations and begins to change.
mRNA vaccines are also cheaper to produce than traditional vaccines. But both will play an important role in tackling Covid-19.
Are they safe?
All vaccines undergo rigorous testing and have oversight from experienced regulators.
Some believe mRNA vaccines are safer for the patient as they do not rely on any element of the virus being injected into the body.
mRNA vaccines have been tried and tested in the lab and on animals but the coronavirus vaccine will be the first one licensed for use in humans.
The human trials of mRNA vaccines – involving tens of thousands of people – have been going on since early 2020 to show whether it is safe and effective.
Pfizer will continue to collect safety and long-term outcomes data from participants for two years.
Will the vaccine come to the UK?
The UK has secured 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine – the first agreement the firms signed with any government.
However, people will need two doses, meaning not enough shots have been secured for the entire UK population.
Who will be first priority to get the vaccine?
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has examined data on who suffers the worst outcomes from coronavirus and who is at highest risk of death.
Its interim guidance says the order of priority should be:
– Older adults in a care home and care home workers
– All those aged 80 and over and health and social care workers, though they may move up the list
– Anyone 75 and over
– People aged 70 and over
– All those aged 65 and over
– High-risk adults under 65
– Moderate-risk adults under 65
– All those aged 60 and over
– All those 55 and over
– All those aged 50 and over
– The rest of the population, with priority yet to be determined.
What other coronavirus vaccine candidates are there?
A total of 44 of the vaccine candidates in development are at clinical trial stage.
Of these, nine are in the phase three stage of clinical evaluation and are being given to thousands of people to confirm safety and effectiveness.
Pfizer and BioNtech's vaccine is a frontrunner in the Covid-19 vaccine race, but another is also leading the way from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.
The Oxford vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, uses a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) which causes infections in chimpanzees.
Other potential vaccines in phase three trials include ones by US drugs firm Moderna and biotech company Novavax.
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