Pfizer and BioNTech’s announcement of preliminary efficacy results for their Covid-19 vaccine candidate is a tiny speck of light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Based on interim data from a late stage clinical trial, their candidate could prevent 90% of Covid-19 infections.

There are still questions about how effective the vaccine would be in the real world, but there’s one thing scientists know for sure: This vaccine model could massively accelerate the process of making vaccines for future pandemics.