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Photo by John Cairns
- Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine 79% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 overall.
- Vaccine 100% effective against severe or critical symptomatic COVID-19.
- No safety concerns reported.
In the trial, which recruited over 32,000 volunteers across all age groups, the participants received either two standard doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine or a placebo vaccine, at a four-week interval. These data show that the vaccine is 79% effective against symptomatic COVID-19, and 100% effective against severe, or critical symptomatic COVID-19.
These results also add to the extensive safety data collected both in previous trials and through real-world vaccine roll out schemes. The independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) reported no safety concerns among the participants receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.
The absolute efficacy is higher in this new study than observed in the Oxford-led studies, as efficacy is affected by the protocol case definition (higher for more severe cases) and the population in which the study is conducted. Today’s findings are in line with findings from other major vaccine developers who studied efficacy in the US.