How does Moderna's Coronavirus vaccine work?

Early data from US biotech Moderna has revealed that its Covid-19 vaccine candidate is 94.5 per cent effective, raising hopes that a range of immunisations will be available to help end the pandemic.

The interim analysis of the vaccine, currently known as mRNA-1273, comes after 95 trial participants contracted Covid-19, including just five who were given the coronavirus jab.

While the data was published via a press release, it includes significant details that remain unclear around the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - which uses the same mRNA technology to target the coronavirus spike protein and an immune response.