An early analysis of data from late-stage clinical trials found that the vaccine was either 62% or 90% effective, depending on the manner in which the doses were given. On average, the vaccine was 70% effective, AstraZeneca said
A volunteer in Oxford, England, on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, receives the coronavirus vaccine made by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. The drug maker AstraZeneca announced on Monday, Nov. 23, 2020, that an early analysis of some of its late-stage clinical trials showed that its coronavirus vaccine was 70.4 percent effective, on average, in preventing COVID-19. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times)
AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford announced on Monday that their inexpensive, easy-to-produce coronavirus vaccine appears effective, the latest in a string of encouraging results this month from vaccine developers.
An early analysis of data from late-stage clinical trials found that the vaccine was either 62% or 90% effective, depending on the manner in which the doses were given. On average, the vaccine was 70% effective, AstraZeneca said.
AstraZeneca’s announcement came on the heels of Pfizer and Moderna releasing trial results that showed their vaccines to both be about 95% effective. Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, AstraZeneca’s offering can be stored for at least six months in standard refrigerators and is relatively easy and inexpensive to mass-produce.
AstraZeneca’s results could significantly strengthen the global effort to produce enough vaccine to start defusing the pandemic: The price of the shot, at $3 to $4, is a fraction of that of some other potential vaccines. AstraZeneca has pledged to make it available at cost around the world until at least July 2021 and in poorer countries in perpetuity.
AstraZeneca said it expected to begin distributing the vaccine this year and that it would be able to make up to 3 billion doses next year. That would be enough to inoculate nearly 1 in 5 humans worldwide.
©2019 New York Times News Service