The Moderna vaccine is the third jab to be rolled out in the UK and will be administered to people in Wales from today.

It follows the rollout of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.

Here’s what we know about the Moderna vaccine.

How effective is it against coronavirus?

Trial results suggested vaccine efficacy against the disease was 94.1%, and vaccine efficacy against severe Covid-19 was 100%.

More than 30,000 people in the US took part, from a wide range of age groups and ethnic backgrounds, and were given two doses 28 days apart.

Who developed the vaccine?

Moderna is a US pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Dolly Parton is credited with helping fund the jab after donating $1million (about £716,000) to Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville, Tennessee, which participated in the research.

The singer broadcast herself receiving the jab on social media, adapting one of her most famous hits for the occasion.

To the tune of Jolene, Parton sang: “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, I’m begging of you, please don’t hesitate. Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, because once you’re dead, then that’s a bit too late.”

How many doses of Moderna does the UK have?

The Government has bought 17 million doses – enough to vaccinate about 8.5 million people.

A benefit of the Moderna vaccine is that it can be safely stored at temperatures of around minus 20C (minus 4F) which is achievable in a standard pharmaceutical fridge.

The Moderna jab can be stored for about 30 days before use.

How does the vaccine work?

The Moderna jab is a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine.

Conventional vaccines are produced using weakened forms of the virus, but mRNAs use only the virus’s genetic code.

An mRNA vaccine is injected into the body, where it enters cells and tells them to create antigens.

These antigens are recognised by the immune system and prepare it to fight coronavirus.

No actual virus is needed to create an mRNA vaccine.

This means the rate at which the vaccine can be produced is accelerated.

Is the vaccine safe?

Moderna said the vaccine was generally well tolerated, with no serious safety concerns identified.

Severe events after the first dose included injection-site pain, and after the second dose included fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, headache, other pain and redness at the injection site.

But these were generally shortlived.

Is the Moderna vaccine effective against variants?

In late January, the company behind the vaccine said it was effective against both the strain first detected in south east England and the mutation which first emerged in South Africa.

What stage is the Moderna rollout at in each of the four UK nations?

People in Wales will get first doses of the vaccine from today at the West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen.

The rollout will begin in England “as soon as possible this month”, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the first batch of Moderna vaccines had arrived in the country on Monday and will be delivered over the coming months.

It has not been confirmed when the rollout of Moderna will begin in Northern Ireland.