Pfizer's promising COVID-19 vaccine won't save Christmas, or even Easter and Passover, experts say

• Pfizer said in a press release that its experimental vaccine is 90% effective at preventing COVID-19, a promising step toward slowing the spread of the virus.
• Still, it could be months before the vaccine is readily available to many people. The study is not over, it hasn't been reviewed by regulators, and supplies may be limited.
• Experts say the vaccine will not save holiday travel this winter, or even in early spring.
• Precautions like social distancing, hand washing, and wearing a mask will continue to be essential well into summer 2021, scientists expect.

Pfizer and German partner BioNTech have announced a new vaccine that may be effective at preventing COVID-19, but you shouldn't make plans for a big holiday party just yet.

In a press release on Monday, the company announced the vaccine is more than 90% effective at preventing COVID-19, according to data from an ongoing trial. This is the first report of positive results from a COVID-19 vaccine trial.

Many questions still remain about the study, which is not yet completed. Pfizer has not published any of its data, and has not submitted it for peer-review or to regulators for approval.

What's more, experts say it's too early to know when the vaccine will be widely available to enough people to warrant ditching our masks and social distancing.

As such, it's highly unlikely the vaccine (or a competitor) will impact our lives in the immediate future, experts say it won't make a difference for travel or family get-together plans well into 2021.

We'll still be wearing masks and social distancing over Christmas, experts say

While the news of the Pfizer vaccine is promising, it's still necessary to continue taking precautions for the foreseeable future, according to Leslie McClure, professor of biostatistics and chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel University, who specializes in clinical trials research.

For the upcoming holiday season, everyone should continue social distancing and wearing a mask around other people, and meet outdoors whenever possible, she advised.

The vaccine still faces a lengthy process of review and approval. Pfizer is planning to request an emergency approval, but will need to collect more data to do so, and that won't be available until the end of November, leaving just four more weeks of 2020 to even attain regulatory approval and get the supply chain moving.

"It's highly unlikely that it will be widely available by the end of this year even if everything speeds through as quickly as possible," McClure told Insider.

Dr. Richard Besser, CEO of the health philanthropy organization the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, echoed McClure, tweeting that people still need to be vigilant and socially-distance over winter, and that the government should provide additional financial support to help people stay home.

The vaccine probably won't be widely available by Easter and Passover, either

Experts also recommend holding off on planning for early spring holidays like Easter and Passover.

The initial supplies of the vaccine will likely be limited.

In the clinical trial for the vaccine, participants received two doses. This vaccine is also particularly difficult to store and ship, as it needs to be kept at negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit, colder that most other vaccines.

"It's too early to say without more information. The press release doesn't lay out a clear timeline, and what we're learning now is really all speculation," McClure said.

Once the supply chain is up and running, health officials have said they will prioritize vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with pre-existing conditions, and first responders, before rolling a vaccine out to the general public — a process that will take months.

Experts predict we'll be wearing masks even after the vaccine is rolled out to the general public

"The moment you get a vaccine doesn't mean you're going to put your mask in the trash," Maria Elena Bottazzi, a vaccine developer at Baylor College of Medicine, previously told Business Insider. "That is not going to happen. I hope people don't think that is going to be the magic solution for all."

There's little in the Pfizer press release that suggests it could be a magic solution. Data on the vaccine's effectiveness hasn't yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, or analyzed by outside scientists and health officials.

"This is just a press release and the data hasn't been released yet. Scientists are optimistic for sure but very cautious," McClure said.

Based on what we know so far, it's not yet clear how effective the vaccine will be, particularly in the early stages. It may help reduce the spread of infection, but things won't return to normal immediately.

It's something Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been saying since the pandemic began, including in his interview with Business Insider.

"I said a combination of an effective vaccine and adherence to certain public-health principles will get us to the point where we want to be, by the end of 2021," Fauci told Insider's Hilary Brueck. "I never said just the vaccine. You never should abandon the public-health measures."