Pfizer says early data signals its COVID-19 vaccine is effective

Pfizer says an early look at its vaccine data suggests the shots may be 90 per cent effective at preventing COVID-19.

The company is on track to file an emergency use application with U.S. regulators later this month.

The announcement doesn’t mean a vaccine is imminent.

The analysis looked at 94 infections recorded so far, in a study that has enrolled nearly 44,000 people in the U.S. and five other countries.

Authorities have stressed it’s unlikely any vaccine will arrive much before the end of the year and limited initial supplies will be rationed.

The shots made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are among 10 possible vaccine candidates in late-stage testing around the world.