South African Covid Variant: Astra-Oxford jab less effective
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine fails to prevent mild and moderate cases of the South African coronavirus strain, according to research reported in the Financial Times.
But in its study, due to be published today, the pharma group said it could still have an effect on severe disease -- although there is not yet enough data to make a definitive judgement.
None of the 2,000 participants in the trial developed serious symptoms, the FT said, but AstraZeneca said the sample size was too small to make a full determination.
"We may not be reducing the total number of cases but there is still protection against deaths, hospitalisations and severe disease," said Sarah Gilbert, who led the development of the vaccine with the Oxford Vaccine Group.
It could also be "some time" before they determine its effectiveness for older people in fighting the strain, which is a growing presence in Britain, she told BBC television.
"We might have to put it together from a number of studies," she said.
Researchers are currently working to update the vaccine, and "have a version with the South African spike sequence in the works" that they would "very much like" to be ready for the autumn, said Gilbert.
UK vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the government's strategy to combat the spread of the strain was to continue with its mass vaccination programme "as rapidly as possible" as well as "hyper-local surge testing" in areas where it is detected.
Britain is in the midst of a massive vaccination drive, which it sees as its way out of one of the worst outbreaks in the world that has seen more than 112,000 fatalities among those testing positive for the virus.
It has so far vaccinated over 11 million people using either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Oxford/Astrazeneca shots.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been the source of an ugly row with the European Union, which is angry that the Anglo-Swedish firm was unable to meet the delivery target agreed with Brussels.
France, Germany and Switzerland are also among countries to recommend the jab not be used in the elderly due to a lack of data, reports AFP.
NO NEW CASES
Australia reported no new local coronavirus cases for a third day yesterday, as tennis players geared up for the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne today.
The Australian Open will have a reduced attendance of 30,000 fans a day, about 50% lower than usual because of Covid-19 protocols.
A Covid-19 booster in the autumn and then annual vaccinations are very probable, Britain's vaccine deployment minister said yesterday as countries race to administer injections in the face of new variants.
Britain has already provided nearly 11.5 million first doses of vaccines and is on track to meet a target to vaccinate everyone in the top most vulnerable groups by mid-February.
"We see very much probably an annual or a booster in the autumn and then an annual (vaccination), in the way we do with flu vaccinations where you look at what variant of virus is spreading around the world," Nadhim Zahawi told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had distributed 59,304,600 doses of vaccines in the United States and that 39,037,964 doses had been administered as of Saturday morning.
The tallies are for both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, vaccines as of 6:00 am ET on Saturday, the agency said.
According to its tally posted on Friday, the agency had administered 36,819,212 doses of the vaccines and distributed 58,380,300 doses.
Afghanistan received 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine from India yesterday, the first to arrive in the country, which is still waiting for emergency approval from the World Health Organisation before it can use them, reports Reuters.
Ghulam Dastagir Nazari, head of the immunisation program at the health ministry said the doses would be stored in Kabul until the emergency authorisation was received, which it hoped would happen in a week.
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