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لندن: British authorities are relying on an emerging corona virus vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca in cooperation with the University of Oxford and licensed from the Medicines Authority, to accelerate the vaccination campaign that began earlier this month in hopes of eliminating it. earliest possible wave of infections attributed to a new strain of the virus.
Britain is the first country to license this long-awaited vaccine for practical reasons, as it is much less expensive than the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine that began shipping, and can be kept at temperatures ranging from two to eight degrees Celsius provided by regular refrigerators. , which facilitates the large-scale vaccination process. .
Great Britain, which is considered one of the countries most affected by the emerging coronavirus, with a death toll of over 71,500, registers new record levels of infections at a time when its hospitals are about to exhaust their capacities and the authorities have re-imposed home quarantine on a large part of the population.
And the Ministry of Health announced in a statement that the authorization of the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency “followed rigorous clinical trials and in-depth data analysis by the agency’s experts, which resulted in the vaccine met its strict standards for safety, quality and efficacy. “
The vaccine will begin to be used on January 4 in the United Kingdom, which has recommended 100 million doses.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed a “British flag victory” and declared on Twitter: “We will now vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible.”
To immunize the largest possible segment of the population will depend on a large time difference between the two necessary doses of the vaccine, up to 12 weeks.
“Scientists and regulatory authorities have studied the data and concluded that what is known as ‘highly effective protection’ has been obtained from the first dose,” Health Minister Matt Hancock said on Sky News .
The British vaccination campaign focuses on nine categories that account for 99% of deaths, including residents of nursing homes, healthcare workers, adults over 50 and exposed people.
It is the second vaccine to receive the green light from the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency, after the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine. So far, more than 600,000 people have been vaccinated since the first vaccination with Margaret Kennan, 91, in the early hours of December 8 in Coventry.
Vaccination is a big gamble for the Boris Johnson government, which faces strong criticism for its failures to cope with the pandemic.
Given the rapid spread of infection with the new strain of the virus, which has increased by up to 74%, according to a British study, Johnson did not hide that vaccination is the main hope to get out of the local isolation measures that deplete the population and undermine the economy.
The AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine is based on an attenuated version of a common monkey virus that has been genetically modified. The virus works in a manner described as a “Trojan horse”, providing cells with genetic material that gives them a command to attack the emerging corona virus.
The AstraZeneca vaccine provides “100 percent protection” against dangerous forms of the Covid-19 epidemic.
And the British laboratory announced in November, revealing interim results of clinical trials, that its vaccine was effective at an average rate of 70%, compared to more than 90% for Pfizer / Bionic and Moderna vaccines.
However, this average implied a large discrepancy between the two methods followed, since the effectiveness rate increased to 90% in volunteers who received half a dose for the first time, and after a month a full dose, and decreased to 62% in a second group that was vaccinated with two full doses.
These results drew criticism because the half-dose vaccination was done by mistake, while the second method was applied only to a limited group, prompting laboratories to conduct additional research.
The vaccine, which received the green light, will be carried out with two full doses, and project leader Professor Andrew Pollard confirmed to the BBC that there is “very strong data” to support this method of vaccination, adding: ” But in the end, the vaccine will work when it’s injected into people’s arms. ” .
He stressed that there is no “evidence” that the vaccine is ineffective in the new strain of the virus.
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