Study shows Oxford-Astrazenca vaccine offers substantial effect in reducing transmission and offering effective protection from a single dose. The Health Secretary has welcomed a study by Oxford University which shows the Oxford-Astrazenca vaccine may have a substantial effect in reducing the transmission of the virus, offering 76 per cent effective protection from a single dose.
Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic, and we are making fantastic progress in protecting the most vulnerable, as we rollout the largest vaccination programme in our nation’s history.
The preliminary research from Oxford is incredibly encouraging – showing that the vaccine also delivers stronger protection in the 12 week gap between doses and no hospitalisations – supporting our strategy. Cutting the chains of transmission is essential if we are to truly defeat this virus and return to our normal way of life, and these findings from Oxford University potentially mark one of the most significant moments in our battle against Covid-19.
For any more information, please visit Oxford Univeristy’s website at: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-02-02-oxford-coronavirus-vaccine-shows-sustained-protection-76-during-3-month-interval.
Right now we have administered more than 10.1 million vaccines across the UK, which includes 931,204 vaccinations over the last weekend alone - that's 1 in every 60 adults in the whole of the United Kingdom vaccinated in a single weekend.
We have now vaccinated almost 9 in 10 of all those over 80 in the UK, and more than half of those in their 70s have now received a vaccine, meaning we are on track to meet our target of offering the top 4 priority groups a vaccine by mid-February. Every eligible care home with older residents in England has been visited – 10,307 in total – and offered vaccinations to all their residents and staff, a vital milestone in our ongoing race to protect the most vulnerable against the disease.
Overall, we have now secured early access to over 400 million total doses of vaccines for 2021 and 2022, including the additional 40 million vaccines doses from Valneva we ordered this week. This means we will have the Oxford-AstraZenca vaccine manufactured in Oxford, Staffordshire and Wrexham; the Novovax vaccine made in Teesside and the Valneva vaccine, subject to approval, produced in Livingston, Scotland – a great example of what we can achieve together as one United Kingdom.
