글로벌 코로나19 백신개발 어디까지 왔나…미국 4개사 '선두'

New cases of COVID-19 are at all-time highs globally.
Despite the alarming surge in recent weeks, the ongoing development of vaccine candidates is providing hope that this pandemic could be nearing its end.
Choi Min-jung reports.
As hopes are raised for an end to the pandemic, scientists are racing to deliver safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines by next year.
According to WHO/BBC research, 11 companies have reached the final stages of testing.
Among the leading contenders, Pfizer and its partner firm BioNTech, were the first to share findings from their final testing stages.
The companies announced on Monday that their vaccine was more than 90-percent effective,... and they aim to produce 50-million doses by the end of this year and 1-point-3 billion in 2021.
Following Pfizer and BioNTech, biotech companies Moderna, AstraZeneca in partnership with the University of Oxford, and Johnson & Johnson are also among the strongest candidates in the final phase of trials.
Moderna, partnered with the National Institutes of Health, began its phase 3 trial in July after yielding positive results from human trials in March.
The company's vaccine could be authorized for emergency use by the end of this year if results meet FDA standards.
Both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson put their trials on hold during development,… to investigate adverse reactions in volunteers.
However, their trials resumed shortly afterwards and both companies expect to see results by the end of December.
In response to the development of the recent vaccine, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.' top infectious disease expert, told CNN that it was "good news" but "no one should let their guard down" just yet.
Choi Min-jung, Arirang News.