After a Phase 3 trial, officials said a vaccine from Oxford University and Astrazeneca pharmaceutical company is up to 90% effective.
The results were based on trials in the United Kingdom and Brazil before the trials start in the United States.
The trial tested two different dosage strategies. When the vaccine was given as a half dose followed by a full dose at least a month later, it was 90% effective.
“We’re really excited both about these vaccines and their potential, as well as the mRNA vaccines where there’s been some data already reported by Pfizer and Moderna,” said Dr. Daniel Kaul with Michigan Medicine.
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Kaul said the University of Michigan has been enrolling patients in the trial for several weeks now. He said he doesn’t have concerns about speed with which the vaccine has been developed.
“Doing something fast and taking shortcuts are different things. In this case, it’s been it’s been done very quickly, but to my observation there really haven’t been any shortcuts,” he said.
The Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine has some advantages over the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. It can be stored in a refrigerator, making it easier to ship and distribute.
It is also significantly cheaper to produce, costing $3 to $4 per shot.
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Astrazeneca said there were “no hospitalizations or severe cases of the disease” reported in participants receiving the vaccine.
Kaul said he is encouraged by the results so far and looks forward to see more data.
“While there’s a lot of controversy around vaccines, there really isn’t any controversy around vaccines in the medical community. They’ve been one of the most important interventions and have saved more human lives than perhaps anything but you know clean water and things like that,” he said.
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