AZN
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine approved for emergency use in the U.K.
- The coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford
and AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) has been authorized for emergency use in
the U.K., which has ordered 100M doses of the shot (enough to vaccinate
50M
people).
- The jab is expected to be rolled out next week and would be added to
the Pfizer-BioNTech (NYSE:PFE) vaccine that has so far been given to
600,000 people in England.
- The approval could also accelerate the lifting of strict lockdowns
implemented in parts of the country, according to Cabinet Secretary
Michael
Gove, which effectively canceled Christmas festivities for millions due a
new coronavirus variant.
- Confusion initially surrounded trial data of the U.K. vaccine in
November, which led to some criticism of AstraZeneca. When people were
given a half dose, followed by a full measure at least a month after,
there
was an efficacy rate of 90%, but that fell to an efficacy of 62% when two
full doses were given at least a month apart. When all the results were
tabulated from the 11,636 participants, the average efficacy of the
vaccine
worked out to 70%.
- Chief of the White House's Operation Warp Speed, Moncef Slaoui, and
others in the U.S. have also expressed concern over the age groups in the
trial, saying the 90% efficacy was only shown for the lowest risk group,
which numbered 2,741 people below age 55.
- The biggest advantages of the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab are price and
storage. It does not need to be kept at ultra-low temperatures and will
cost about $4 a dose, compared to the $20 per vial from Pfizer and $33
for
Moderna's (NASDAQ:MRNA) vaccine.
|Today, 2:39 AM|12 Comments
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine approved for emergency use in the U.K.
- The coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford
and AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) has been authorized for emergency use in
the U.K., which has ordered 100M doses of the shot (enough to vaccinate
50M
people).
- The jab is expected to be rolled out next week and would be added to
the Pfizer-BioNTech (NYSE:PFE) vaccine that has so far been given to
600,000 people in England.
- The approval could also accelerate the lifting of strict lockdowns
implemented in parts of the country, according to Cabinet Secretary
Michael
Gove, which effectively canceled Christmas festivities for millions due a
new coronavirus variant.
- Confusion initially surrounded trial data of the U.K. vaccine in
November, which led to some criticism of AstraZeneca. When people were
given a half dose, followed by a full measure at least a month after,
there
was an efficacy rate of 90%, but that fell to an efficacy of 62% when two
full doses were given at least a month apart. When all the results were
tabulated from the 11,636 participants, the average efficacy of the
vaccine
worked out to 70%.
- Chief of the White House's Operation Warp Speed, Moncef Slaoui, and
others in the U.S. have also expressed concern over the age groups in the
trial, saying the 90% efficacy was only shown for the lowest risk group,
which numbered 2,741 people below age 55.
- The biggest advantages of the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab are price and
storage. It does not need to be kept at ultra-low temperatures and will
cost about $4 a dose, compared to the $20 per vial from Pfizer and $33
for
Moderna's (NASDAQ:MRNA) vaccine.
|Today, 2:39 AM|12 Comments
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