ASTRA NOUGHT
No deaths or serious Covid after Oxford jab, finds a major US trial
A MAJOR trial in the US has shown the Oxford / AstraZeneca jab cut coronavirus deaths to zero in every age group with no serious side effects.
The life-saving vaccine – which European leaders have repeatedly criticised during their stuttering jabs rollout – stopped 79 per cent of all Covid infections, including in over-65s. Scientists yesterday hailed the results of the trial, which involved 32,000 people.
Prof Steven Riley, of Imperial College London, tweeted: ‘One hundred per cent efficacy against hospitalisation in places with quite a lot of coronavirus. That’s a nice start to the week.’
Prof Andrew Pollard, of the Oxford Vaccine Group, called them ‘great news’, adding: ‘They show the remarkable
efficacy of the vaccine in a new population and are consistent with the results from Oxford-led trials.’
And the jab’s creator Prof Sarah Gilbert added: ‘Twenty per cent of people in this trial were over 65 and there was no drop in protection. It was just as good in over-65s as it was in younger people. That’s very clear from this trial.’
More than 11million people in Britain have had the jab since January 5.
At that time, 809 people died each day on average, with 59,344 new cases – yesterday the figures were 17 and 5,342.
The successful campaign, with millions more getting a Pfizer/BioNTech jab, means lockdown should lift on June 21.
There were hopes that positive results from such a big trial would boost confidence across the EU, where 13million doses are lying unused.
Polls show 55 per cent people in Germany and 61 per cent in France believe the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is unsafe. Prof Stephen Evans, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: ‘The benefits of these results will mainly be for the rest of the world where confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine has been eroded.’
But higher take-up may fuel the row over supplies between the UK and EU.
After Oxford/AstraZeneca cut its promise of 90million doses for the EU this quarter to 30million, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen threatened to ban exports of the drug from Europe to Britain. The bloc’s leaders will decide on Thursday.
But after speaking to Mr Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday, prime minister Boris Johnson warned all countries could lose in a war.
‘On the continent right now, you can see sadly there is a third wave,’ he said. ‘People in this country should be under no illusions when a wave hits our friends, it washes up on our shores as well.
‘These are international projects and require international co-operation.’