Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can be up to 80% effective with a delay between doses - UK official

Coronavirus chronicle

Reuters
30 December, 2020, 05:30 pm
Last modified: 30 December, 2020, 05:36 pm
“Effectiveness was high, up to 80%, when there was a three month interval between first and second doses, which is the reason for our recommendation,” Munir Pirmohamed, Chair of the Commission on Human medicines expert Working Group on Covid-19 vaccines, said on Wednesday
Prof Sir Munir Pirmohamed arrives at Downing Street, amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, in London, Britain December 30, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Oxford and AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine can be 80% effective when there are three months between shots, an official involved in approving the vaccine in Britain said, but there is insufficient evidence to back a regime involving a half dose.

"Effectiveness was high, up to 80%, when there was a three month interval between first and second doses, which is the reason for our recommendation," Munir Pirmohamed, Chair of the Commission on Human medicines expert Working Group on Covid-19 vaccines, said on Wednesday.

"We also looked at the half dose regimen, which has been publicised quite widely, but we felt that the results were not borne out by the full analysis," he said at a news conference where the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) presented its decision.

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