A modified version of the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine adapted to fight a coronavirus variant first documented in South Africa could be ready by the end of 2021, an Austrian AstraZeneca official said in an interview published on Sunday.
Sarah Walters, Austria’s AstraZeneca manager, told the Kurier newspaper that studies to date indicate that the existing AstraZeneca vaccine had been less effective against the more infectious variant first documented in South Africa were “too small for to draw final conclusions ”.
“Meanwhile, AstraZeneca and Oxford University have begun vaccine changes for the South African version and we expect it to be ready by the end of the year, if needed,” Walters told Kurier.
Walters blamed the challenges – including delivery delays on the European Union’s AstraZeneca shot – on the “complex process” of producing a vaccine, along with the extremely high demand resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
“We had to work without maintaining a reserve in reserve. As a result, we could not compensate for the unexpected events,” she said. “We are confident that we will live up to our commitment to deliver 300 million doses to the European Union this year.”
Kurier’s interview did not directly address ongoing investigations into AstraZeneca’s health problems. The EU has put a warning label on the vaccine about its possible link to extremely rare blood clots, Denmark has completely stopped using the vaccine and the UK has advised people under 30 to receive another brand of vaccine. Read more
Asked about “thousands” of people in Austria canceling their AstraZeneca shooting schedules, Walters said the company’s plan was to “continue to provide information about doctors’ effectiveness and safety in a transparent way so that they can adequately inform people.” about the benefits and risks. .
The UK and European Union drug regulators have said that the overall benefits of using the vaccine outweigh any risk of rare coagulation.
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