Oxford jab is safe and effective, US trial finds

THERE is yet more evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective, as a large US trial found it provided 100 per cent protection against severe illness from Covid.

And in the wake of alarmist reports from Europe, independent experts have claimed that the vaccine is safe, with no increased risk of blood clots.

The trial used a sample of 32,449 patients in the US, Peru and Chile. Scientists found the jab was 79 per cent effective at preventing people of all ages getting Covid with symptoms. It was 100 per cent effective in stopping severe and critical disease or hospitalisation.

Importantly, after European countries including France and Italy temporarily suspended the vaccine over reports of blood clots, an independent data safety monitoring board identified no increased risk of these among the 21,583 people in the trial who were given at least one dose of the Oxford jab rather than a placebo.

It also found no cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis

‘These results are great news’

(CVST) – the particular type of brain blood clot that caused concern in Europe.

Blood clots have been rare, according to the European Medicines Agency, which concluded last week the benefits of the AstraZeneca jab outweigh the risks. In around 20million patients in the UK and European economic area who had received the jab up to March 16, there were only seven cases of blood clots in multiple blood vessels and 18 cases of CVST.

Andrew Pollard of Oxford University said: ‘These results are great news as they show the remarkable efficacy of the vaccine in a new population and are consistent with the results from Oxford-led trials.

‘We can expect strong impact against Covid-19 across all ages and for people of all different backgrounds.’

Forthcoming data will determine how well the vaccine works against new strains of coronavirus which emerged since the jab was developed.