Stock market news live updates: Stock futures rise after record-setting session, with S&P 500 pacing toward weekly gain - Yahoo Finance

(NYSE: CCL) is leading the S&P thanks to the CDC’s optimistic view on the pandemic, the vaccine and the notion that the masses will one day again want to get onto a cruise ship with hundreds of strangers post-pandemic, the CNBC host said.

Since the COVID vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson&Johnson are all quite new, there aren't years of data on them to prove how safe and effective they are over long periods of time.

One recent study found new evidence that suggests how long the Moderna vaccine actually protects you from coronavirus.

Read on to find out how long the vaccine is effective, and for more on this shot, Moderna CEO Says This Is How Often You'll Need A COVID Vaccine.

The Moderna vaccine protects you for at least six months.

Research published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on April 6 suggests that protection gained from the Moderna vaccine extends for at least six months.

However, antibody activity remained high in all age groups six months after the second dose of the Moderna vaccine, which is the longest amount of time studied to date.This data on Moderna was gathered by performing follow-up tests on dozens of people who received the vaccine during Moderna's clinical trials.

And for essential vaccine guidance, This Common Medication Can Make Your Vaccine Less Effective, Study Says.

On April 1, Pfizer announced in a statement that its COVID vaccine remains highly effective and safe for at least six months after the second dose.

Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, said that the new findings are "an important step to further confirm the strong efficacy and good safety data we have seen so far, especially in a longer-term follow-up."Additionally, Pfizer said the latest findings set the company up to apply for a Biologics License from the U.S.

Currently, Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson&Johnson are operating on an emergency-use authorization from the FDA.

To obtain full approval, the manufacturers have to file for a Biologics License, which requires long-term data that demonstrates the vaccine is safe and effective over time.

And for more on vaccine efficacy, This Is the Only Way to Tell If Your COVID Vaccine Worked, Doctors Say Moderna said they are working on a booster dose to address variants.

In addition to sharing recent findings, the researchers also noted that they are looking into "determining the effect of a booster dose to extend the duration and breadth of activity against emerging viral variants." According to the Associated Press (AP), both Pfizer and Moderna are working to update the current vaccines they offer and create boosters to address troubling variants.

The existing Moderna vaccine should work against most variants

Although Moderna is working on ways to address variants, experts believe the current shots should be able to protect people from most, if not all, of the variants spreading right now

On April 6, White House COVID adviser Anthony Fauci, MD, told Insider, "I don't believe that there's anything to panic about at this point," in regards to the variants

Fauci noted that the existing vaccines have "the potential—to a greater or lesser degree—to also protect against a range of variants." And for more on vaccines and variants, This One Vaccine May Protect You Against All Variants, New Study Says