Some really positive vaccine news on a Monday morning.
Oxford has confirmed that its Covid-19 vaccine is 70% effective, increasing to 90% with two doses.
British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford said their jointly-developed vaccine against Covid-19 has shown “an average efficacy of 70%” in trials.
After two dose regimens, the vaccine trials show that it could be 90% effective, based on trials conducted on 23,000 people.
Oxford has said that this is a giant step in its goal to supply 3 billion doses of the vaccine and make it available to people around the world by the end of 2021.
“This vaccine’s efficacy and safety confirm that it will be highly effective against Covid-19 and will have an immediate impact on this public health emergency,” AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot said in a statement.
The plan for the Oxford vaccine would seek emergency-use listing from the World Health Organisation to accelerate vaccine availability in low-income countries.
A statement from Oxford itself reads: “This project is the result of global collaboration and support from partners, funders and researchers around the world. We’re grateful for their cooperation and hard work – without them, the Oxford vaccine wouldn’t have been possible.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the news as “incredibly exciting”, though he did stress that there are still future safety checks ahead.
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