Moderna announced Monday that early data suggests its COVID-19 vaccine is 94.5% effective.

Just last Monday, Pfizer announced its own COVID-19 vaccine appeared to be 90% effective. That puts both companies now on track to seek permission within weeks for emergency use in the U.S.

Moderna's president Dr. Stephen Hoge told the Associated Press early Monday that having similar results from two different companies is what's most reassuring.

He went on to say, "that should give us all hope that actually a vaccine is going to be able to stop this pandemic and hopefully get us back to our lives."

On Monday morning, Dr. Hugh Cassiere joined News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen to talk about this latest vaccine development.

These striking initial results leave the United States with the prospect that two coronavirus vaccines could be available on a limited basis by the end of the year.

Both candidates are so-called mRNA vaccines. Meaning they aren't made with the coronavirus. Instead they contain a piece of genetic code, that trains the immune system to recognize the spiked protein on the surface of the virus.

A key advantage of Moderna's vaccine is that it does not need ultra-cold storage like Pfizer's, making it easier to distribute. Moderna expects it to be stable at standard refrigerator temperatures.

Moderna's vaccine, which is co-developed with Dr. Fauci's institute, is being tested in 30,000 people. Half received two doses of the vaccine, the other half received a placebo.

Below is Dr. Cassiere's reaction to this information:

The Moderna vaccine shows that it could be 94.5% effective, while Pfizers could be 90% effective. Dr. Cassiere talks about the mRNA vaccines:

Of the 95 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, 90 were in the group that received the placebo. There were 11 severe cases reported, all in people who received the placebo. Dr. Cassiere talks about the vaccine and severe disease:

Dr. Cassiere say there shouldn't be any longterm complications from the vaccine.

Dr. Cassiere talks about having a vaccine available by the second half of December:

The total number of new coronavirus cases has reached 11 million in the United States. How is this surge different from what we saw in the early months?

Let’s talk about why COVID-19 kills. Dr. Cassiere talks about new research:

Dr. Cassiere answers a question about the COVID-19 mortality rate:

What are the longterm life effects for people that test positive for COVID-19? Dr. Cassiere gives a rundown:

Click on the link below to watch the full show: