More very good news
A new study has found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had a 'substantial' effect on transmission of Covid-19.
While it was already known that the jab prevented people from becoming ill from the virus, it wasn't clear if it would stop people from catching it and passing it on to others.
On Tuesday, however, a yet-to-be formally published study, conducted by the University of Oxford, confirmed the good news.
The study had swabbed people every week to test for the virus' presence and found the numbers testing positive halved once they had received two vaccine doses. Because the virus has to be present in a person in order to be passed on, this meant the number of people capable of spreading it had been dramatically reduced after vaccination.
The development was described by Health Secretary Matt Hancock as being "absolutely superb".
The same study also showed the vaccine offers
76 per cent protection for the full three month period between the first and second dose, seemingly supporting the government's decision to prolong the gap between doses. The level of protection rises to 82 per cent after the second dose.
Despite the positive news, death rates remain high in the UK, with latest figures showing a further 1,449 people had died with the virus, taking the total to 108,013 since the pandemic started.
