AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine 79 Percent Effective, New Study Shows

Results of a late-stage study on AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine were announced on Monday, adding another boost of optimism to the pandemic era that’s kept us all on pause for more than a year now.

The vaccine in question is named AZD1222 and was co-invented by the University of Oxford and its company, Vaccitech. Per a phase 3 trial, the vaccine has shown a statistically significant efficacy of 79 percent at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100 percent efficacy at preventing severe disease and hospitalization. While efficacy was consistent across all ages and ethnicities, vaccine efficacy was shown to hit 80 percent when looking at those 65 years of age or older.

Notably, no safety concerns related to the vaccine were identified by the trial’s independent data safety monitoring board. More specifically, no increased risk for blood clots was found. As the Associated Press noted in their report, this vaccine has already been in play in multiple regions around the world. Next up, the team is set to hand their latest findings over to U.S. authorities for potential emergency use authorization.

“These findings reconfirm previous results observed in AZD1222 trials across all adult populations but it’s exciting to see similar efficacy results in people over 65 for the first time,” Ann Falsey—Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine  and co-lead Principal Investigator for the latest trial—said in a media statement on Monday. “This analysis validates the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a much-needed additional vaccination option, offering confidence that adults of all ages can benefit from protection against the virus.”