[ad_1]
Britain was the first country in the world to approve the joint crown vaccine from the University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. A second preparation is now ready for vaccination.
In the UK, the way is clear for a second coronavirus vaccine. The medicines and health products control authority approved the means of the manufacturer AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, as announced by the London Ministry of Health. Britain is the first country in the world to approve the vaccine.
After the approval of the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine, the AstraZeneca vaccine is the second drug approved in the UK. Studies have shown that it is less effective than the Biontech and Pfizer vaccine, but it is relatively easy to use in comparison. This means that the vaccine can be stored at refrigerator temperature and is also significantly cheaper.
Start of vaccination with AstraZeneca funds at the beginning of the year
In Great Britain, the first vaccinations with this vaccine should take place from January 4, as announced by Health Minister Matt Hancock. It was “brilliant to end 2020 with a moment of hope,” Hancock said.
Based on data from the initial study, the AstraZeneca vaccine should offer an average of 70 percent protection against Covid-19. This is suggested by the partial results of studies on almost 24,000 people in Great Britain, Brazil and South Africa. Depending on the group, the effectiveness could possibly be significantly higher with a special dose.
“Vaccine for the world”
Sometimes doubts arose about the study design and the high effectiveness of the vaccine. Therefore, the Swedish-British group AstraZeneca had carried out additional investigations.
Manufacturers have now expressed the hope that the agent will become a “vaccine for the world.” Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, said the day was an important one for “millions of people in the UK who will have access to this new vaccine.” The vaccine has been shown to be effective, well tolerated, and easy to administer.
Soriot recently seemed confident that the vaccine would also be effective against the crown mutation, which was recently discovered in Britain and which, according to expert evaluations, is apparently more contagious than the previously known variant.
Mode of action different from that of Biontech and Moderna
Unlike the vaccines of the Mainz company Biontech and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, as well as the American company Moderna, the AstraZeneca preparation does not belong to mRNA vaccines. The active ingredient AZD1222 used in the vaccine is based on the weakened version of a chimpanzee cold virus. It contains genetic material for a surface protein with which the pathogen Sars-CoV-2 attaches to human cells.
The agent works in two ways: it is supposed to promote the formation of specific antibodies and T cells; both are important for the immune system.
Three billion doses of vaccines by the end of 2021
The British government now relies primarily on the AstraZeneca vaccine and has already ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine. According to the manufacturer, the product should be available for the equivalent of two euros per dose. It is supplied by the non-profit company. By the end of 2021, up to three billion cans should be made.
The United Kingdom is one of the countries most affected in Europe by the pandemic. Almost 80,000 people have already died there with or from Covid-19. Recently, the number of new infections has increased dramatically. More recently, 53,000 new cases were reported in one day.
