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The Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine fails to prevent mild and moderate cases of the South African coronavirus strain, according to a study published in the Financial Times.
But in its study, which is due to be released on Monday, the pharmaceutical group said it could still have an effect on serious illnesses – although there isn’t enough data yet to make a definitive judgment.
None of the 2,000 trial participants 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 death, hospitalization and serious illness,” said Sarah Gilbert, who led vaccine development with the Oxford Vaccine Group .
It could also be “some time” before they determine its effectiveness for older people in combating the strain, which is a growing presence in Britain, she told the TV station. BBC.
“We may have to put it together from a number of studies,” she said.
Researchers are currently working on updating the vaccine, and “have a version with the South African peak sequence in the works” that they “would” very much like to be ready for the fall, Gilbert said.
UK Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said the government’s strategy to tackle the spread of the strain was to continue its mass vaccination program “as quickly as possible” as well as “hyper-local surge testing” in areas where it is detected.
Britain is in the midst of a massive vaccination campaign, which it sees as a way out of one of the world’s worst epidemics, which has claimed more than 112,000 deaths among those who tested positive for the virus.
It has so far vaccinated more than 11 million people using Pfizer / BioNTech or Oxford / Astrazeneca injections.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been the source of nasty disputes with the European Union, which is angry that the Anglo-Swedish firm has not been able to meet the delivery target agreed with Brussels.
France, Germany and Switzerland are also among the countries that recommend against using the vaccine in the elderly due to a lack of data.
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