Pfizer said on Friday that it is asking US regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and eventually an end to the pandemic—but not until after a long, hard winter. The action comes days after Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech announced that its vaccine appears 95 per cent effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease in a large, ongoing study.

The companies said that protection plus a good safety record means the vaccine should qualify for emergency use authorisation, something the Food and Drug Administration can grant before the final testing is fully complete. In addition to Friday's FDA submission, they have already started rolling applications in Europe and the UK and intend to submit similar information soon.