WASHINGTON: US firm Moderna said it would file requests for emergency authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine in the United States and Europe on Monday, after full results confirmed a high efficacy estimated at 94.1 percent.

The highly-anticipated news comes as the US braces for a supercharged post-Thanksgiving coronavirus surge. More than 265,000 Americans have died from the disease and 93,000 are currently hospitalized.

"We believe that our vaccine will provide a new and powerful tool that may change the course of this pandemic and help prevent severe disease, hospitalizations and death," said the company's CEO Stephane Bancel.

The Moderna vaccine, which was co-developed with the US National Institutes of Health, is being studied in a clinical trial with more than 30,000 participants across the United States.

An interim analysis announced earlier this month was based on 95 patients who fell sick with Covid-19. The final analysis was based on 196 cases, 185 of which were observed in a group assigned a placebo versus 11 who received the shots.