Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Sustained Protection as Initial Dose
The AstraZeneca/Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine offers sustained protection of 76 percent effectiveness for three months following an initial dose, Oxford researchers reported in early results from multiple trials in the UK, Brazil and South Africa.
Data from 332 symptomatic COVID-19 cases from an ongoing phase 3 study indicate that the dosing interval has the greatest impact on efficacy, the researchers said.
The nonpeer-reviewed findings posted on The Lancet’s pre-print website said that efficacy went from nearly 55 percent following six weeks between doses to more than 82 percent following 12 weeks or more between doses with protection beginning 22 days after receiving an initial dose.
In addition, the vaccine may significantly reduce viral transmission given the 67 percent reduction in coronavirus positive swabs observed among vaccinated UK trial participants, the researchers said.
The Oxford researchers said they will report more findings from multiple trials “in the coming days” regarding the vaccine’s efficacy against coronavirus variants, such as those identified in the UK and South Africa.
Read the full analysis here: bit.ly/2YB2CsL. ― Jason Scott
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