[ad_1]
- James Gallagher
- BBC Health and Science Editor
Image posted, Oxford University / John Cairns
The University of Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine is currently in the final stage of testing
A large-scale trial has shown that the coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford is very effective in preventing symptoms of Covid-19 disease in people who take it.
Preliminary data indicates that the protection rate is 70 percent, but the researchers say that the percentage can be increased to 90 percent by adjusting the dose.
The results look like a victory, but it comes after the two vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna showed 95 percent protection.
However, the Oxford University vaccine is much cheaper, easier to store and distribute in all corners of the world than the other two vaccines.
Therefore, it will play an important role in the fight against the epidemic, if it gets regulatory approval.
“Today’s announcement brings us one step closer to where we can use vaccines to end the devastation caused by the virus,” said Professor Sarah Gilbert, a vaccine engineer.
The British government has reserved 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine, enough to immunize 50 million people.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was “incredibly exciting news” and that while safety checks on the vaccine had not yet been carried out, they considered “great results”.
What did the experience show?
The vaccine took about 10 months to develop and is a process that generally takes a decade.
More than 20,000 people participated in the experiment, half of them in the UK and the other half in Brazil.
There were 30 cases of COVID-19 among people who received two doses of the vaccine and another 101 cases of people who received a placebo injection.
The researchers said the vaccine managed to provide 70 percent protection.
When the volunteers received two “high” doses, the protection rate was 62 percent, but this percentage increased to 90 percent when the subjects received a “low” dose, followed by a high dose. It is not clear why this difference in proportion exists.
“We are really pleased with the results,” Professor Andrew Pollard, the trial’s principal investigator, told the BBC.
He said the data on the 90 percent efficacy rate was “interesting” and meant that “we will have more doses to distribute.”
Professor Pollard added that there were lower levels of asymptomatic infection in the group of volunteers who received a low dose followed by a high dose, which “means we can stop the virus from the start.”
Image posted, SOUP images
AstraZeneca is preparing to produce billions of doses for worldwide distribution after the vaccine gets the required approval
When will I get the vaccine?
There are four million doses ready for distribution in the UK and another 96 million doses to be delivered.
But nothing can happen until the vaccine is approved by regulatory authorities who will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and ensure that it is manufactured to the highest standards. This process will take place in the next few weeks.
However, the UK is ready to give the green light to an unprecedented mass vaccination campaign that overshadows the annual influenza vaccination program or childhood vaccines.
Prisoners and nursing home staff will be the first to receive the vaccine, followed by healthcare workers and the elderly over 80. The plan foresees a transition thereafter to the younger age groups.
How does the vaccine work?
The vaccine is a genetically modified common cold virus that generally infects chimpanzees.
The virus has been modified to prevent it from infecting people and to carry samples of a part of the Corona virus, known as the spike protein.
Once these models are turned inside the body, they begin to produce the Coronavirus Spike protein, which the body’s immune system recognizes and considers a threat and attempts to destroy it.
When the immune system really does deal with the virus, it now knows what to do.
Are the results disappointing?
After Pfizer and Moderna have produced vaccines that provide 95 percent protection against COVID-19, 70 percent is relatively disappointing.
However, any percentage over 50 on the magnets would have been considered a win a month ago.
This vaccine can also be stored at normal refrigerator temperature, which means that it can be distributed to all corners of this world, unlike the two vaccines produced by Pfizer / Biontech and Moderna, which must be stored at very low temperatures.
Oxford University’s manufacturing partner AstraZeneca is preparing to manufacture three billion doses worldwide.
What difference will this make in my life?
The vaccine is something that we have been waiting for a year and for which closures were imposed to save time.
But getting enough vaccinations and then vaccinating tens of millions of people in the UK, and billions around the world, is still a daunting task.
Life will not return to normal tomorrow, but the situation could change a lot with the protection of those most at risk.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC’s “Breakfast” program that we will be “closer to normal” by the summer, but “until we have that vaccine on hand, we all have to take care of each other.”
