AstraZeneca says US trial data shows vaccine 79% effective
AstraZeneca says advanced trial data from a US study on its COVID-19 vaccine shows it is 79 percent effective. Although AstraZeneca's vaccine has been authorized in more than 50 countries, it has not yet been approved in the US. The study comprised of 30,000 volunteers, 20,000 of whom were given the vaccine while the rest got dummy shots. The results were announced on Monday.
The vaccine works across all ages: AstraZeneca
In a statement, AstraZeneca said its COVID-19 vaccine was 100 percent effective in stopping severe disease and hospitalization. Investigators said the vaccine was effective across all ages, including older people which previous studies in other countries had failed to establish.
Results will hopefully clear all confusion regarding the vaccine
The early findings from the US study are just one set of information AstraZeneca must submit to the Food and Drug Administration. An FDA advisory committee will publicly debate the evidence behind the shots before the agency decides whether to allow vaccine's emergency use. Scientists have been awaiting these results in hopes that it'll clear the confusion about how well the shots work.
A manufacturing mistake had marred initial testing
Britain first authorized the vaccine based on partial results from testing in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa that suggested the shots were about 70 percent effective. But those results were clouded by a manufacturing mistake that led some participants to get just a half dose in their first shot, an error the researchers didn't immediately acknowledge.
Several questions shrouded the vaccine despite clearance by Britain
After Britain passed the vaccine, there were questions about how well the vaccine protected older adults and how long to wait before the second dose. Some European countries including Germany only offered the shot to older adults after new data suggested it offers seniors protection.
Earlier, concerns were raised that the vaccine caused blood clots
Last week, more than a dozen countries, mostly in Europe, temporarily suspended their use of the AstraZeneca shot after reports suggested that it was linked to blood clots. On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency concluded after an investigation that the vaccine did not raise the overall risk of blood clots, but said that it was connected to two very rare types of clots.
