The trials are event driven. After a certain number of people get Covid-19 the study will be unblinded and the number of infected who received vaccines versus placebo will be counted. The vaccines use technology used in other vaccines that work and have been used for years so they are almost certainly safe. For example the similar technology GSK Shringrix Shingles vaccine has been given to 11 million people since it was approved in 2017 with very few serious problems. The halted AZN/Oxford vaccine uses an Adeno virus where similar side effects have been seen but at a much lower rate (the vaccine is probably still good because the vaccinated medical symptoms were just random). All the vaccines worked on primates so they will probably work at least to some extent in people. I think the Warp speed bar for provisional approval is 50%. The number number of events needed for approval depends on the size of the trial. PFZ first readout is 28 days (then next 56). MRNA first readout is 42 days. There is a good chance that even 50% effective vaccines will eliminate Covid-19 once enough people have been vaccinated because the virus needs humans as its host.
The Chinese vaccine given to 100K people already has about 5% mild side effects. That is probably better than the Russian vaccine...
When phase 1 and 2 have been rushed thru in months, so will phase 3. Vaccine before the election, latest before Christmas.
Well Christmas is 3 months away not one. I can see results potentially coming out then at the very earliest, although realistically it's probably Jan. The very phrase "before the election" as opposed to "by early November" indicates political rather than scientific timelines.