Preliminary clinical trials in the US show the AstraZeneca vaccine developed alongside the University of Oxford to be safe for use after showing a 79% efficacy in preventing the disease and 100% effective in preventing people from falling critically ill, which may allay fears in the wakes of total bans on its rollout.
Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
The trials saw a slightly reduced efficacy rate from those conducted in Europe, with one-fifth of trial participants being over the age of 65. In the over-65 bracket, the vaccine had an 80% efficacy rate.
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More than 32,000 people took part in the trials across the US, with scattered trials being conducted in Chile and Peru.
This comes as the vaccine has seen widespread suspension throughout Europe over links to blood clots and being linked with a single patient's death.
Last week, thirteen European countries suspended the use of the vaccine pending an investigation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The EMA re-approved the vaccine on Friday.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also threatened to ban vaccine exports to the UK in the latest string of rows after the pharmaceutical company failed to meet its agreed-upon targets to the bloc.
AstraZeneca said it has been facing shortfalls which have meant it has had to reserve jabs primarily for the UK.
Europe has countered that the shortfalls have been caused in part by the UK's stockpiling as it has not shipped out any vaccines to other countries, while the EU has been sending millions of doses to other nations around the world.
The links with blood clots have been described as tenuous, with medical professionals urging the public to bear in mind that clots are no more prevalent than in the general population and the EMA stating the pros far outweigh the cons.
The US trials have found no data on the jab being a potential health risk and that the vaccine was well-tolerated. An independent data safety monitoring board have also found the vaccine does not pose a health risk, even going so far as to specifically analyse areas for concern in the EU.
The report found no increased chance of thrombosis among the participants.
The EMA gave its reapproval on Thursday and a number of countries, including Germany and Italy, resumed the rollout of the jabs on Friday.
Lead investigator of the Oxford University trial of the vaccine, Professor Andrew Pollard told the BBC: "These results are great news as they show the remarkable efficacy of the vaccine in a new population and are consistent with the results from Oxford-led trials.
"We can expect strong impact against Covid-19 across all ages and for people of all different backgrounds from widespread use of the vaccine."
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Professor Sarah Gilbert, a co-designer of the vaccine added there were going to be cases of people falling ill after receiving the vaccine, but that does not mean the vaccine itself was responsible for problems.
She said: "In many different countries and across age groups, the vaccine is providing a high level of protection against Covid-19 and we hope this will lead to even more widespread use of the vaccine in the global attempts to bring the pandemic to an end."
"It is really important that we get the chance to protect people as quickly as possible. This vaccine will save lives."
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