LONDON – A vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is very effective in stopping Covid-19 and prevents serious diseases and hospitalization in all age groups, the company announced on Monday.
AstraZeneca has said it will now release its data for analysis by the scientific community in peer review literature and apply to the Food and Drug Administration for permission for emergency use.
The Phase 3 trial, conducted in the U.S., Chile and Peru with 32,000 volunteers, showed that the vaccine was 79 percent effective against the disease and 100 percent effective in stopping serious and fatal cases, the company said in a statement. press release said.
More than 50 countries around the world have approved the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed in partnership with the University of Oxford, including the United Kingdom, which approved it in December and vaccinated half of its adult population.
The results show an even higher effectiveness than studies done in Oxford, the company said.
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“These results are good news because they demonstrate the remarkable efficacy of the vaccine in a new population and are consistent with the results of Oxford-led trials,” said Andrew Pollard, professor of pediatric infection and immunity, and Oxford chief investigator. . University thesis.
“We can expect a strong impact on Covid-19 at all ages and for people with different backgrounds of the vaccine.”
Although the AstraZeneca vaccine has repeatedly been safe and effective in trials, it has a reputation issue. Nearly a dozen countries resumed administering the vaccine last week due to fears of serious side effects such as blood clots.
The European Medicines Agency said last week that the vaccine was safe and now AstraZeneca said it had found ‘no increased risk of thrombosis’ among the 21,583 trial participants who received at least one dose.
Some European countries, including Germany and France, initially approved the vaccine, but it was recommended for older people who received it, before it was made available to those over 65 years of age.
AstraZeneca said on Monday that its effectiveness in people aged 65 and older was 80 percent.
Meanwhile, the US has gradually built up a stockpile of about 7 million shots of the vaccine – some of which are being sent to Canada and Mexico by President Joe Biden.
The US has signed an agreement to receive 300 million doses of the vaccine, after it has been approved.
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