Oxford Vaccine Shows Promise to Cut Spread by More Than 80%

A study of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine revealed that the vaccine is 82% effective three months after the initial dose, and provides ‘substantial’ protection after the first of the two dose regiment.

Furthermore, the vaccine not only prevents people who contract coronavirus from developing a serious case, but prevents people who have the coronavirus from transmitting it to others.

The study  involved 17,000 people in the UK, South Africa and Brazil showed that protection was 76% after the first dose and 82% after the second, three months later.

The confirmation that protection is high after the first shot comes as countries, struggling to vaccinate as many people as possible to avoid another surge, are considering pushing off the second round of shots in order to focus on ensuring more people receive the first shot.

The study did not reveal if the vaccine was tested against emerging strains in South Africa or Brazil, the BBC reported.

Professor Andrew Pollard, Chief Investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial said ‘These new data provide an important verification of the interim data that was used by more than 25 regulators including the MHRA and EMA to grant the vaccine emergency use authorisation.”

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smarcus@hamodia.com