A US study confirms that the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is safe for use

A US study has found that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is 100% effective at preventing severe Covid-19 and keeping people out of the hospital. 32,449 people across all age groups took part in the phase three trial in the US, Chile and Peru, with a total of 141 cases of symptomatic Covid-19 reported.

The results showed that among people aged 65 and over, there was an 80% protection against developing Covid-19.

The level of effectiveness against symptomatic Covid-19 was found to be higher than the results obtained in the previous Oxford-led trials.

The safety of the jab has been further bolstered by the US-based independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB). They say that they have no safety concerns relating to the vaccine. They also conducted a specific review into the type of brain blood clot that had been troubling the rollout in Europe, known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST).

The DSMB found no increased risk of thrombosis among the 21,583 participants receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. The specific search for CVST found no cases in this trial.

Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford/AstraZeneca development team, 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 a strong impact against Covid-19 across all ages and for people of all different backgrounds from the widespread use of the vaccine.”

Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology, and co-designer of the vaccine said “In many different countries and across age groups, the vaccine is providing a high level of protection against Covid-19 and we hope this will lead to even more widespread use of the vaccine in the global attempts to bring the pandemic to an end.”