AstraZeneca vaccine 100 per cent effective at preventing severe illness, study finds

A study in the United States found that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is 100 per cent effective against preventing serious disease

The trial of 32,000 people also found that it is 79 per cent effective against symptomatic Covid, as well as being safe.

There were just 141 cases of symptomatic Covid-19 in total among all that took part in the study and none were hospitalised. In over 65s, the vaccine is 80 per cent effective against developing Covid. The US study also found no evidence that the vaccine is associated with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). These findings show the vaccine is actually more effective than Oxford University's clinical trials of the vaccine which originally led to the vaccine's approval.

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READ MORE:

• Is the AstraZeneca vaccine safe? Yes.
• Ireland suspends use of AstraZeneca vaccine
• Matt Hancock responds to European AZ suspensions, insists drug is safe

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This comes after controversy surrounding the vaccine in the EU. 

Last month, France and Germany suspended the roll out of the vaccine in over 65s, claiming there was not enough evidence the vaccine was effective in that cohort. 

And, this month, over a dozen EU countries suspended the roll out of the AstraZeneca vaccine over claims blood clots were a potential side effect of the jab. 

These claims have been slapped down by the World Health Organisation, AstraZeneca, and the European Medicines Agency themselves. 

However, despite this, the EU’s posturing on the vaccine appears to have had a negative effect on public perception of the vaccine according to a YouGov poll. 

On people who think the AstraZeneca vaccine is unsafe, there has been a 18 per cent increase in France, a 15 per cent increase in Germany, a 27 per cent increase in Spain, a 27 per cent increase in Italy, and 4 per cent increase in the UK.