This year has largely been full of bad news because of COVID-19. Finally, there is good news. Scientists announced a breakthrough in the fight against the virus. The scientists are from the U.S. drug company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech. Researchers have developed a vaccine against COVID-19 with a 90 per cent success rate. The researchers say the vaccine has no serious side effects. The head of the USA's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the vaccine was positive news. He said: "The results are really quite good, I mean extraordinary."
Health experts say it will be months before people can get the vaccine. It must be stored at temperatures of -80º Celsius. The Pfizer CEO was happy with his company's success. He said: "Today is a great day for science and humanity....We are reaching this [important time]...when the world needs it most." He added: "Infection rates are setting new records, hospitals are nearing over-capacity and economies are struggling to reopen....We are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help...end...this global health crisis."