The AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine was confirmed by experts to have 70.4 percent average efficacy in an interim analysis of Phase 3 trial results, published in a peer-reviewed paper.
AstraZeneca and Oxford University became the first COVID-19 vaccine makers to publish final-stage clinical trial results in a scientific journal Tuesday, marking a key milestone in the global race to securing safe and effective vaccines.
AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine showed no severe side effects/hospitalizations
Findings showed there were zero hospitalizations or cases of severe side effects three weeks after the first dose of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine was given to around 11,600 volunteers in the United Kingdom and Brazil.
According to the peer-reviewed paper, the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine has efficacy of 90 percent in a small group who got a half-dose first, but only 62 percent in the majority.
Still, experts lauded the development of AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate. AstraZeneca and Oxford University have already sought regulatory approval after the announcement of the vaccine’s efficacy.
“This is probably the best day we’ve had in 2020,” Oxford University’s professor Sarah Gilbert told reporters. “We now see our vaccine is safe and it is highly effective.”
