U.S. biopharmaceutical firm Moderna reportedly said that its experimental vaccine was 94-point-five percent effective in preventing COVID-19. 

According to the Associated Press and other media, the firm made the statement based on interim data from its Phase Three trial. 

Moderna reportedly said its interim analysis confirmed 95 COVID-19 infections among the trial's 30-thousand participants who received either a placebo or the vaccine. Of those, only five infections occurred in those who received the vaccine.

The firm said its vaccine does not need ultra-cold storage like Pfizer's, making it easier to distribute. 

The announcement comes on the heels of similar news last week from Pfizer's late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trial.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel called the preliminary vaccine data a "game changer," while Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the results of the trial are truly striking.