John Cornyn: “the world is celebrating major developments in the global race for a vaccine. All year, since this pandemic hit, our…”

“the world is celebrating major developments in the global race for a vaccine. All year, since this pandemic hit, our greatest scientific minds have been working around the clock to develop a vaccine that will finally bring the pandemic and the crisis associated with it to an end. Researchers are testing dozens of vaccines in the hope of finding at least one that can stop the spread of the virus, which has claimed more than 1.2 million lives worldwide and nearly 240,000 here in the United States alone. Early data from Pfizer's vaccine trial gives us a lot of reasons to be hopeful when the company announced on Monday that its vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in preventing the disease. For reference, standard flu vaccines for the seasonal flu are typically 40 to 60 percent effective, so 90 percent is a big deal. This breakthrough is a testament to the ingenuity and the near-universal commitment to trying to find a vaccine that will eliminate the threat of this pandemic, and it is a sign of hope for all people around the world. Later this month, once Pfizer has collected the recommended 2 months of safety data, the company plans to request emergency authorization for the vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration. By the end of the year, it will have manufactured enough doses to immunize 15 to 20 million people.…”