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Topline
The United Kingdom on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve the use of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, and the British government has also decided to implement a new immunization protocol when administering the first dose. of the vaccine. to as many people as possible, rather than withholding part of the supply for rapid second injections, which will significantly increase the number of people vaccinated.
Heath Secretary Matt Hancock gives a thumbs up as he leaves Millbank in Westminster, central London. … [+]
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Key facts
The British Department of Health and Welfare confirmed on Wednesday that it had accepted the recommendation of the Regulatory Agency for Medicines and Health Products to grant regulatory approval after determining that the vaccine met “required standards of safety, quality and efficacy.”
It has been approved for use in people over 18 years old and consists of two doses and will be released starting Monday.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is crucial for third world countries and those with relatively limited healthcare infrastructure, as it can be stored and transported with standard refrigeration, and the company says it will sell it at a cost (less than $ 3 a dose).
AstraZeneca is committed to making its vaccine available at cost around the world until at least July 2021 and in the poorest countries forever.
Crucial quote:
“Vaccines offer great hope of turning the tide of the pandemic. But to protect the world, we must ensure that all people at risk everywhere, not just in countries that can afford vaccines, are immunized,” he said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organization, on Wednesday, almost a year after the day the WHO was first alerted to the emergence of the new coronavirus in Wuhan, China.
Key Background:
Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations are on the rise in Britain due in large part to a new variant of the coronavirus first discovered in south-east England and now present in many parts of the world, including Colorado. The UK recorded a record 53,135 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, breaking the previous record of 41,285 infections in a single 24-hour span. This recent increase is believed to have influenced the government’s decision to immediately inoculate as many people as possible, reversing the initial plan to give two injections in one month. In an effort to increase the number of people receiving the first dose, the government has announced that some people will wait up to 12 weeks before receiving their second injection, a measure whose implications are not fully known, according to the New York Times. However, Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization believes that this new approach to immunization “will maximize the benefits of this vaccine, ensuring that people at risk can gain meaningful protection and relieve pressure on the National Health Service of the United States. UK”.
What to watch out for:
According to Dr Andrew Pollard of the University of Oxford, “There is no evidence that vaccines do not work against the new variant … But that is something we must keep in mind. We cannot be complacent with this variant or perhaps variants future. “In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is still awaiting data from a separate clinical trial before approving the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the United States.
Tangent:
The trials showed that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was 70.4% effective in preventing Covid-19 infection overall, but that number represented an average of results for trial participants who received two full doses and participants who received one. full dose followed by half dose. Surprisingly, “for reasons that scientists don’t yet understand,” AstraZeneca’s vaccine showed only 62% efficacy in clinical trials among those who received two full doses. However, none of the volunteers who received the vaccine in clinical trials developed severe Covid-19 or were hospitalized.
Large number:
1.7 million. That’s the number of people around the world who have died after contracting the coronavirus, while the virus has infected more than 82,068,100 people worldwide as of Wednesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Other readings:
Watchdog approves UK use of ‘vaccine for the world’ (AP)
WHO, marking the year since COVID-19 began, urges fair vaccine distribution for all (Reuters)
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