The head of drug maker AstraZeneca researchers believe the shot will be effective against a new variant of the virus, which is driving a surge in infections in Britain.

The company has developed a coronavirus vaccine widely expected to be approved by UK authorities this week.

AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot says

“Researchers developing its vaccine have figured out a winning formula making the vaccine as effective as those from rivals”

Some have raised concern that the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being developed with the University of Oxford, may not be as good as Pfizer’s, which is already being distributed in the UK and other countries.

Partial results suggest the AstraZeneca shot is about 70 per cent effective in preventing illness from the coronavirus, compared to the 95 percent efficacy reported by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech

Soriot says we think we have figured out the winning formula and how to get efficacy that, after two doses, is up there with everybody else.

“I can’t tell you more because we will publish at some point.”

Britain’s government says its medicine regulator is reviewing the final data from AstraZeneca’s Phase-3 clinical trials.

The Times and others have reported that approval could come by Thursday, and the vaccines could start to be distributed for the UK public in the first week of January.

Soriot says so far, we think the vaccine should remain effective with the new variant coronavirus, but we can’t be sure, so we’re going to test that.

British authorities hold the new variant liable for soaring infection rates across the country.

Authorities say the variant was much more transmittable, but stress there was no evidence that it made people more ill.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson sounded an alarm about the variant days before Christmas, saying it was spreading rapidly and that plans to travel and gather must be cancelled for millions to curb its spread.

Non-essential shops have closed, restaurants and pubs can only operate for takeout and indoor socialising is not allowed.

Many countries swiftly barred travel from the UK, but cases of the new variant have since also been reported in a dozen locations around the world.

Many hospitals are under pressure, including the largest in Wales, which issued an urgent appeal on Saturday for healthcare staff or medical students to help care for coronavirus patients in intensive care.

Public health officials say that more than 600,000 people had received the first of two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

The health board that runs University Hospital of Wales say that the situation had improved but its critical care unit remained extremely busy.

Authorities have since put increasing areas of the country affecting about 24 million people or 43 per cent of the population under the strictest level of restrictions.

Britain recorded another 30,501 positive Covid-19 cases and a further 316 fatalities on Sunday, bringing the country’s total death toll to 70,752.

By Yazdaan Khan

Source:thenationalnews.com