UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock welcomes Oxford University's COVID vaccine news

As Oxford University announced that its COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed in collaboration with AstraZeneca is 70.4 per cent effective against the virus, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock welcomed the news and called it 'encouraging'. While speaking to Sky News, Hancock said that figures show that the vaccine in the right dosage can be up to 90 per cent effective. He also informed that the United Kingdom already has 100 million doses on order and added that should all go well, the bulk of the rollout will be in the new year. 

While taking to Twitter, the University of Oxford had said that the interim data show that their vaccine candidate is 70.4 per cent effective and tests on two doses regiments show that it could be 90 per cent. Following the announcement, Hancock said that AstraZeneca, Oxford and medicine regulator would have to study the results to see how best to administer the vaccine once it was found to be safe. 

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In a separate interview, he told BBC that one the things that regulators will need to look at is whether the programme for how the doses are done which can lead to the 90 per cent effectiveness figure, whether that is the appropriate way to take the Oxford vaccine forward. Hancock added that there was evidence in the report that the vaccine could reduce transmission of the disease. He said that it would be good news if confirmed because what the UK government want to do is not only stop people from getting the disease but also stop its transmission.  

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AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate 'easier to refrigerate'

Meanwhile, Oxford University’s announcement is both triumph and a matter of disappointment because US-based Pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Moderna, have already declared their vaccine candidates to be 95 per cent and 94 per cent efficient against the virus respectively. However, Oxford and AstraZeneca’s vaccine is reportedly far cheaper and is comparatively easier to store and transport to even remote areas of the world. 

Announcing the interim trial data from its Phase 3 trials, Oxford University said in a statement that its vaccine candidate ChAdOx1 nCoV-2019 has shown more than 70 per cent efficacy after the analysis included 131 COVID-19 cases. Testing in two different test regimes, the vaccine was 90% efficient in one and 62% efficient in another. According to the statement, “higher efficacy regimen used a halved first dose and standard second dose.” Easier to refrigerate, the Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine will play a significant role in tackling the global health crisis. 

“The announcement today takes us another step closer to the time when we can use vaccines to bring an end to the devastation caused by SARS-CoV-2. We will continue to work to provide detailed information to regulators. It has been a privilege to be part of this multi-national effort which will reap benefits for the whole world,” said the vaccine's architect Professor Sarah Gilbert.

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