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LONDON: British regulatory approval of a COVID-19 candidate vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca could accelerate the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, the Cabinet Office minister said on Monday (December 28), Michael Gove.
Gove said the independent regulator has to evaluate the vaccine, but if approved there would be a “significant increase” in available vaccines. Britain is already launching vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
“If we get the authorization for that vaccine, and the launch goes according to plan, we can progressively lift some of the restrictions, which have made life so difficult for many,” he told Sky News.
READ: AstraZeneca says the shot will be effective against the new COVID-19 variant
The head of pharmaceuticals AstraZeneca said Sunday that researchers believe the injection will be effective against a new variant of the virus that is driving a rapid rise in infections in Britain.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot also told the Sunday Times that researchers developing their vaccine have discovered a “winning formula” that makes the jab just as effective as rival candidates.
Some have expressed concern that the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being developed with the University of Oxford, may not be as good as the one made by Pfizer and BioNTech that is already distributed in the UK and other countries.
The partial results suggest that the AstraZeneca injection is approximately 70 percent effective in preventing illness caused by coronavirus infection, compared to the 95 percent efficacy reported by Pfizer and BioNTech.
“We believe we have discovered the winning formula and how to get an efficacy that, after two doses, is on par with all the others,” Soriot said. “I can’t tell you more because we will publish at some point.”
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