HHS Secretary says US will have 40m doses of COVID vaccines next month

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Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the US will have 40 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year

Azar said vaccines from both drugmakers could be ready for US authorization and distribution within weeks 

His remarks came just hours after Pfizer says it will apply for FDA emergency authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine after final results from its late-stage trial showed it was 95% effective

The drugmaker made the newest claim about its vaccine just one week after initial results from the trial showed the shot was more than 90 percent effective 

Pfizer, which developed the vaccine with German partner BioNTech SE, said it now has the two months of safety data it needs to apply for emergency use 

Moderna Inc on Monday released preliminary data for its vaccine saying results showed it was 94% effective 

The first shots will be offered to vulnerable groups like medical and nursing home workers, and people with serious health conditions