AstraZeneca Says New Vaccine 90% Effective : Coronavirus Updates

The WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the urgency for vaccine development must be matched by the same urgency for fair distribution.

Since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 has led to 1.4 million deaths globally, 257,000 in the US and 11,552 in IL.

One of the leading Covid-19 vaccines could be available to Australians before Christmas, if the Therapeutic Goods Administration approves it quickly. "But in all cases the bulk of the rollout will be in the New Year". "There's nowhere to hide, COVID-19 is everywhere and now it's flu season". Ghebreyesus elaborated on the WHO's Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator developed in April.

This includes how well the vaccine performs in different groups of people, how long protection lasts and how well it can prevent infections from different virus strains that may evolve over time, wrote Zania Stamataki, a viral immunologist at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, in an article for The Conversation.

The interim analysis of the vaccine, which included 131 Covid-19 patients, indicates that one dosing regimen showed a 90% efficacy when the vaccine was given as a half dose followed by a full dose at least one month apart; another regimen showed 62% efficacy when given as two full doses at least one month apart.

The vaccine can be stored at normal refrigeration temperatures.

Recently, promising results have been announced by several vaccine makers, including Pfizer, which is applying for emergency use authorization, and Moderna, which says it will seek one.

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MA has been working on its plan to distribute the vaccines.

"We hope the government will give the go-ahead for vaccinating persons at highest risk - doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers at hospitals".

"The freezing temperatures needed would make it impossible for a small facility like ours to distribute the vaccine", Lehan said.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is what's known as a "viral vector".

This would be the third deal signed by Israel to receive vaccinations, following similar deals with Moderna and Pfizer. Multiple doses of a vaccine allow the body to have a better chance of producing more antibodies, which lead to immunity. "The target set by the government is 300 to 400 million doses by July", said Adar. The kits will include needles, syringes, alcohol pads, vaccination cards, and limited PPE for vaccinators.

"While we cannot predict how long the FDA's review will take, the FDA will review the request as expeditiously as possible, while still doing so in a thorough and science-based manner, so that we can help make available a vaccine that the American people deserve as soon as possible", Dr. Stephen Hahn, FDA Commissioner, said.

Immunologist Kylie Quinn, from RMIT, said the Oxford-AstraZeneca candidate had many benefits, and would likely be the easier option for Australia in the early stages of any rollout.