The British-Swedish drugmaker made a new announcement based on a primary analysis of its recent study.
What We Know:
- On Monday, the company announced results from its Phase 3 trials in the U.S. The study gave its vaccine a 79% efficacy rate. However, health officials raised concerns after a panel of experts indicated that AstraZeneca may have used outdated information in its study.
- The company said its initial results were based only on data collected until February 17th. The recent announcement on Wednesday is based on the primary analysis of its US trial data which showed a difference of just 3% from the last report. AstraZeneca maintains its vaccine is completely effective at preventing severe cases and hospitalizations.
- While the newest results give the vaccine 76% efficacy, in people aged 65 and older the number jumps to 85%. Still, many countries are having trouble trusting the company after several mishaps. AstraZeneca is now waiting for authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to begin rolling out its vaccine.
- If approved, it will be the fourth shot available in the US. Vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson have all been approved. Until a decision is made, the US will be sharing some of its available supply with Mexico and Canada. Currently, some 85 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine with 46 million of them being fully vaccinated, NBC reported.
More than 125 million people worldwide have been infected with Covid-19. In the U.S., the virus has killed over half a million people to date.
