Breaking: FDA panel recommends Moderna’s COVID vaccine for emergency use

U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Thursday recommends the emergency use of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine.

The advisory panel of independent advisers on infectious diseases, voted 20-0 to recommend the Moderna vaccine as effective in the prevention of COVID-19. The vote was the last step before senior FDA officials decide whether to approve the vaccine for mass distribution.

The agency typically follows the advice of its expert advisers.

The Moderna vaccine is set to begin distribution as soon as the FDA gives the green signal, most likely within hours of the FDA’s decision, which could come by as early as Friday.