Pfizer-BioNTech announce their vaccine is 95% effective

In a press release on November 9, 2020, Pfizer-BioNTech announce their preliminary phase 3 clinical trial data suggests their COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective. [1, 2]

Then they announced via press release on November 18, 2020, that the final analysis of their COVID-19 vaccine Phase III clinical trial data showed it was 95% effective and with no safety concerns, stating:

“Primary efficacy analysis demonstrates BNT162b2 to be 95% effective against COVID-19 beginning 28 days after the first dose;170 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were evaluated, with 162 observed in the placebo group versus 8 in the vaccine group”.

“Efficacy was consistent across age, race and ethnicity demographics. The observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was over 94%,”  [1]

Those results had yet to be peer reviewed, but the media ran with the claim. Pfizer filed for emergency use authorization with the FDA “within days” of this announcement.