The vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford is safe, is effective against the coronavirus and it caused no serious side effects. what emerges from the latest data analyzed in the United States, which examined the efficacy and safety of the vaccine on 32,449 volunteers recruited in the United States, Chile and Peru. The study found that the vaccine 79 percent effective in stopping Covid symptoms and one hundred percent effective in avoiding serious complications of the infection. This is considerably higher than in studies conducted in the UK last year where it was shown to be 62% effective with two full doses. There have also been no reported safety concerns regarding blood clots. The vaccine proved well tolerated and the independent monitoring and safety committee found no increased risk of thrombosis nor did events of cerebral venous thrombosis among the 21,583 participants who received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Confidence injection
The results, announced in an Astrazeneca press release, come at a very difficult time for the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company and could help boost global confidence in the vaccine that faltered after the EMA’s precautionary suspension (later revoked). due to the suspicion (not proven, no causal link proved) of possible very rare blood clots induced by the preparation. The New York Times writes that the AstraZeneca vaccine, not yet used in the United States, may not be needed as the country is using Pfitzer, Moderna and Janssen on a large scale. However, the United States retains 30 million doses of AstraZeneca currently in use. The head of the vaccine trial at the University of Oxford, Professor Andrew Pollard, he told the BBC that these findings are great news as they show the vaccine’s remarkable efficacy in a new population and are consistent with findings from the Oxford studies.
The data of the study
The people involved in the tests received the two doses of the vaccine or, in its place, the placebo four weeks away (and not three months away as is now being done in Europe). These data show that the vaccine is 79 percent effective against symptomatic cases of Covid-19 and 100 percent against severe or critical ones, the statement said. The efficacy data are also comparable by ethnicity and age. Among the participants, 79% were white / Caucasian, 8% black / African American, 4% American and 4% Asian, and 22% of the participants were Hispanic. About 20% of the volunteers were 65 and older, and about 60% had comorbidities associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 progression, such as diabetes, severe obesity, or heart disease.
80% effective even on the elderly
In particular yes registered a ‘80 percent efficacy in participants aged 65 and over. Ann Falsey, professor of medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, USA, and co-author of the study, said: These results reaffirm the previous results observed in the AZD1222 studies in all adult populations, but very comforting to see for the first time similar efficacy results in people over the age of 65. This analysis validates the AstraZeneca vaccine as an additional vaccination option needed today, offering the confidence that adults of all ages can benefit from protection against the virus. AstraZeneca said it will continue to analyze the new data, publish the results in a scientific journal, and seek emergency clearance from the Food and Drug Administration.
March 22, 2021 (change March 22, 2021 | 11:31)
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