(Newser)
– The head of drug manufacturer AstraZeneca, which is developing a coronavirus vaccine that should be approved by the British authorities this week, said on Sunday that researchers believe the shot will be effective against a new variant of the virus that will cause a rapid increase in infections. in Great Britain. Partial results suggest that AstraZeneca’s shot is about 70% effective in preventing coronavirus infection, compared to the 95% efficacy reported by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, AP reports. But chief executive Pascal Soriot has expressed confidence in London Sunday Times. “We think we’ve discovered the winning formula and how to get the effectiveness that, after two doses, is up there with everyone else,” Soriot said. “I can’t tell you more because we’ll publish at some point.”
Asked about the effectiveness of the vaccine against the new variant of coronavirus in the UK, Soriot said: “So far, we believe that the vaccine should remain effective. But we can’t be sure, so we’ll test this. “BioNTech has expressed similar confidence in the vaccine it has developed with Pfizer. AstraZeneca has developed its vaccine, whose Phase 3 clinical trials are now being reviewed by UK regulators with Oxford University. The CEO said in provides “100% protection” against severe cases of COVID-19 – those requiring hospitalization, depending on Times of Israel. The UK government has ordered 100 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine; 40 million of them are about to be delivered by the end of March. (The company’s vaccine has been in doubt.)