The Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine demonstrated 70 per cent protection against the Covid-19 infection. So far, four experimental coronavirus vaccine makers have come out with the efficacy data and of these, vaccines by Moderna, Pfizer and Russia have shown over 90 per cent success rates.
The coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University was “highly effective” in preventing Covid-19 infections as it showed 70 per cent protection against the disease in the trials, British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Monday. The 70 per cent effectiveness of Oxford’s coronavirus vaccine refers to how much it would work on humans if they are administered the shot.
So far, four experimental coronavirus vaccines makers have come out with the efficacy data, of which, coronavirus vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer have shown the success rates of their candidates as high as 95 per cent.
The coronavirus vaccine developed in Russia, Sputnik V, has proven to be over 90 per cent efficacious among a group of phase 3 trial volunteers to test the shot against Covid-19 infection which has battered economies and killed millions across the world.
Oxford-Astrazeneca Best Bet For India
The AstraZeneca team has announced its coronavirus vaccine candidate prevented 70 per cent of people from developing the Covid-19 infection in its late-stage trials. Key researcher Dr. Andrew Pollard said scientists were pleased with the results.
The Oxford University said that the interim analysis from its phase three vaccine trial shows that the 70 percent effectiveness comes from combining two doses.
A total of 131 COVID-19 cases were studied during the interim trial.
The participants were given two high doses, which showed 62 percent efficiency, but it rose to 90 percent when they were given a half dose, followed by a high one, reported BBC.
Professor Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and Chief Investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial, said that the findings show that one of the dosing regimes maybe around 90 percent effective and if this dosing regimen is used, more people could be vaccinated with planned vaccine supply.
The study also showed that there were no hospitalised or severe cases in anyone who received the vaccine.
Oxford-AstraZeneca further said that the coronavirus vaccine could be around 90 per cent effective under one dosing regimen. This means that if the people were given a half dose followed by a full dose, rather than two full doses, protection rose to about 90 per cent.
AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot also said that “the vaccine’s simple supply chain and our no-profit pledge and commitment to broad, equitable and timely access mean it will be affordable and globally available, supplying hundreds of millions of doses on approval,” The Guardian reported.
The UK government has pre-ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine, reported BBC.