A coronavirus vaccine developed by drug firm AstraZeneca
and Oxford University has been approved for use in Britain, the
government said Wednesday, adding the mass rollout will start on
January 4.
The vaccine can be stored, transported and handled at normal
refrigerated conditions, and is therefore cheaper and easier to
administer than the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna jabs that require
freezing.
Britain will become the first nation to roll out the jab on
January 4, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, amid mounting
concerns that another dangerous spike in infections threatens to
overwhelm the NHS.
“Brilliant to end 2020 with such a moment of hope,” tweeted
Hancock.
“The #coronavirus vaccine is our way out of the pandemic — now
we need to hold our nerve while we get through this together.”
The government said in a statement earlier that it had “today
accepted the recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare
products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorise Oxford
University/AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for use.
“This follows rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis
of the data by experts at the MHRA, which has concluded that the
vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and
effectiveness,” said the Department of Health and Social Care
spokesman.
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On Sunday, AstraZeneca’s Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said the
vaccine provides “100 percent protection” against severe COVID
disease requiring hospitalisation.
He predicted trials would show his firm had achieved a vaccine
efficacy equal to Pfizer-BioNTech at 95 per cent and Moderna at
94.5 per cent.
Earlier trials had shown varying outcomes in the AstraZeneca
shot’s efficacy.
The vaccine intially showed an average 70 per cent effectiveness
but that level jumped to 90 per cent depending on the dosage
regime.
Behind this average figure from large-scale trials in the UK and
Brazil was a 62 percent effectiveness for those who were vaccinated
with two full doses of the shot.
For volunteers who received a half-dose first and then a full
dose one month later, however, the vaccine was found to have 90 per
cent efficacy.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/12/30/uk-approves-astrazeneca-oxford-covid-19-vaccine/