The University of Oxford today published a study that shows that the Oxford/AZ vaccine, developed together with AstraZeneca, is effective in reducing the spread of the virus with just one dose of the Wuhan pneumonia (novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19) vaccine.
AFP and BBC reported that the study showed that within 3 months after the first dose of AZ vaccine, the protection was about 76% and did not decrease during this period; after the second dose, the protection climbed to 82%.
In an interview with the BBC, UK health Secretary Matt Hancock said the study was good news, “It confirms to the world that the AZ vaccine works, and it works well” and that “the AZ vaccine can reduce the rate of spread by about 2/3, so it certainly illustrates the government’s ongoing efforts to reduce the spread of the disease. So it certainly shows that the current strategy adopted by the government to prevent the Epidemic is the right one”.
This latest study from Oxford University is a good endorsement for the British government. The UK government has advocated that the number of people vaccinated, especially in high-risk groups, should be as large as possible given the limited availability of the vaccine, so that people who have received their first dose can be revaccinated after about 12 weeks, a different approach to vaccination that has previously been questioned by some experts.
There is still some controversy about the protective power of the AZ vaccine for the elderly population. Although the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted emergency permission for the AZ vaccine to be used in the EU, some EU countries, such as Germany and Italy, have explicitly stated that the AZ vaccine is “not recommended” for people of advanced age; French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that the AZ vaccine is not recommended for people over 65. French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that the AZ vaccine does not protect people over the age of 65.
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