Medical experts claim that AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine will be efficient against the new virus train found in the United Kingdom. It may also have the ability to neutralize other COVID-19 strains, including the new one discovered in South Africa.
"So far, we think the vaccine should remain effective," said Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca's CEO, via Business Insider.
"But we can't be sure, so we're going to test that," he added.
According to News Sky's latest report, AstraZeneca's vaccine showed an efficacy rate of 90% during its medical trials. The results were revealed when the participants received half a dose followed by a whole dose at least a month later.
However, if the patient takes two full doses at least a month apart, the vaccine's efficacy will only be 62%. Although this is the case, AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine still showed an overall efficacy of 70%.
AstraZeneca's CEO says there's a winning formula!
AstraZeneca's Chief Executive Pascal Soriot claimed that the company already found a winning formula. He also said that the researchers found ways on how to get efficacy that every patient can receive after two doses.
Also Read : Experts Claim UK's Mutant Coronavirus Strain May Already Be in the US, Are Children Really More Vulnerable?
Soriot stated that the pharmaceutical giant already saw positive results, claiming that they meet the criteria created by regulators around the globe.
The distribution of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine is expected to start as early as January 4, 2021. The U.K. government already ordered more than 100 million doses of the vaccine. It is expected that 40 million will arrive by the end of March.
UK's new COVID-19 strain
The U.K.'s new coronavirus variant is said to be 70% more transmissible compared to the current COVID-19 strain. As of the moment, the new virus strain has already infected around 40,000 residents of the United Kingdom by midweek from the day it was discovered.
On the other hand, health officials claim that the new COVID-19 strain originated in South Africa, but made its way to the United Kingdom last week. Matt Hancock, the British health secretary, said that the new coronavirus strain in South Africa is disturbing since it has mutated further than the one discovered in the U.K.
For more news updates about the new COVID-19 variant, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
