Washington: The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, also known as Covishield in India, was found to be 79 per cent effective in a large US trial at preventing symptomatic illness due to COVID-19. The vaccine was also found to be 100 per cent effective against severe or critical disease and hospitalisation.
This trial was carried on over 30,000 volunteers, including people over 65.
Earlier trials lacked the data for senior citizens, which is one of the reasons why some European nations have suspended the vaccine. The main reason cited by the countries is, however, increased risk of blood clots.
A London-based panel has found “no increased risk of thrombosis or events characterised by thrombosis among the 21,583 participants receiving at least one dose of the vaccine”.
European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have maintained that the benefits outweighed the risks and investigations are on.
Ann Falsey, Professor of Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, US, and co-lead Principal Investigator for the trial, said: “These findings reconfirm previous results observed in AZD1222 trials across all adult populations but it’s exciting to see similar efficacy results in people over 65 for the first time. This analysis validates the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a much-needed additional vaccination option, offering confidence that adults of all ages can benefit from protection against the virus.”
Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, said: “These results add to the growing body of evidence that shows this vaccine is well tolerated and highly effective against all severities of COVID-19 and across all age groups. We are confident this vaccine can play an important role in protecting millions of people worldwide against this lethal virus. We are preparing to submit these findings to the US Food and Drug Administration and for the rollout of millions of doses across America should the vaccine be granted US Emergency Use Authorization.”
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