Photographer: Gen Shkullaku / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Gen Shkullaku / AFP / Getty Images
AstraZeneca Plc coronavirus vaccine did not provide much protection against mild diseases caused by the variant that appeared in South Africa in a study that prompted the country to look for other immunizations last month.
The vaccine was only 10 percent effective against the strain variant, according to a study published Tuesday in New England Journal of Medicine. There were no cases of severe disease, neither in the group that received two vaccine injections, nor in the group that received inactive photos.
The study did not answer the bigger question the vaccine faces: whether it protected patients from severe illness and hospitalization, in part because the study participants were young. The only serious side effect noted – another key indicator as European countries investigate reports of blood clots – there was a high fever after the first dose.
The Astra vaccine is supported by the regulator as the safety review increases
South Africa stopped launching the vaccine after some preliminary data from the study were published last month. The data published on Tuesday were more detailed, and their publication in a medical journal indicates that it was evaluated by colleagues.
The study involved approximately 2,000 participants who had a median age of 30 years. Older people are generally more affected by the infection.
The vaccine prevented about 22% of all mild to moderate cases of Covid. About 93% of the cases in the lawsuit were caused by the South African variant. Determining the level of efficacy against the strain was a secondary objective of the study.