A second coronavirus vaccine is close to emergency approval in the United States after it has been approved by a panel of experts.
The head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said his agency would move quickly to authorize Moderna's vaccine, allowing the company to begin shipping millions of doses.
This comes days after the United States began rolling out Pfizer / BioNTech jab.
The United States has recorded more coronavirus cases and deaths than any other country.
Earlier this week, the death toll topped 300,000.
The advisory panel voted Thursday 0-20, with one abstention, stating that the benefits of the Moderna vaccine outweigh the risks for those 18 and over. The same committee last week supported the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, leading to emergency use being allowed the next day.
After approval by the committee, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said his agency has informed Moderna that it will "work quickly toward terminating and issuing an Emergency Use Permit."
Regulators reported earlier this week that the Moderna vaccine is 94% safe and effective.
The United States has agreed to buy 200 million doses, and 6 million could be ready for shipment once the vaccine gets approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
How is it different from Pfizer jab?
Moderna requires temperatures around -20 ° C to ship - similar to a regular freezer.
Pfizer strike requires temperatures closer to -75 ° C, which makes transportation logistics even more difficult.
Like Pfizer vaccine, Moderna vaccine also requires a second booster dose. The second injection of Morderna comes 28 days after the first injection.
The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and said that if approved, "the vast majority" of its vaccine would be manufactured there.
Pfizer is manufactured in several countries, including Germany and Belgium.
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