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INTERIM RESULTS OF the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine’s Phase 3 trials have found it protects against symptomatic disease in 70% of cases, with efficacy of 90% in a smaller subset of participants who were given a lower dose.
Just three out of 23,745 participants over a median of 3.4 months experienced serious adverse events that were possibly related to a vaccine. All three participants have recovered or are recovering and remain in the trial.
The results, published in The Lancet, are the first full peer-reviewed efficacy results to be published for a Covid-19 vaccine.
They are based on analysis of seven trials in the UK, Brazil and South Africa. Half the participants were given the Covid-19 vaccine and the other half were given a control (either a meningococcal conjugate vaccine or saline).
Out of 23,745 participants, 168 experienced a total of 175 severe adverse events over the period but 172 of those events were unrelated to either the Covid-19 or control vaccines. Just one of the three serious adverse events was in the Covid-19 vaccine group – a case of transverse myelitis [ inflammation of a section of the spinal cord].
All three participants have recovered or are recovering, the study author has said, and they are all still part of the trial.
There were 131 cases of symptomatic Covid-19 disease more than 14 days after the second vaccine dose among 11,6356 participants.
The trial was originally designed to assess a single dose, but following review of the immune response data in earlier phases, another dose was added to the trial protocol. Most participants received two doses, each a standard dose.
However a subset (1,367 people) in the UK received a half dose as their first dose and then a full second dose. This was because of differences in the results of quantification methods between batches of the vaccine.
Authors found that their analyses of different doses suggests higher efficacy among those who had a half dose and then a standard dose. They have said this requires further research as more data becomes available from the trial.
Those who received two full doses saw an efficacy of 62%, while those who received a half dose and then a full second dose saw an efficacy of 90%.
In the 11,636 people included in the vaccine efficacy against symptomatic disease analysis, 12% (1,418/11,636 people) were older adults and most were white (83%, 9,625/11,636 people).
Most participants were aged 18-55 as those aged 56 years and older were recruited later and will be studied in future analyses.
“In order to assess vaccine efficacy, we need to have a sufficient number of Covid-19 cases among participants to indicate that the vaccine is protecting them from disease. Since recruitment of older adults started later than in younger adults there has been less follow up time for these cohorts and less time to accrue Covid-19 cases,” study author, Dr Merryn Voysey, University of Oxford said.
“This means we have to wait longer to have sufficient data to provide good vaccine efficacy estimates in smaller subgroups.”
Cases of severe disease and hospitalisation were monitored for in all 23,745 participants. From 21 days after the first dose there were 10 cases hospitalised for Covid-19 and all of these were in control groups – those who did not receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
The trial also measured protection against asymptomatic infection by asking 6,638 UK participants to complete weekly Covid tests. There were 69 cases of asymptomatic Covid-19 disease identified in the UK study’s weekly Covid-19 testing of 6,638 people, leading to a vaccine efficacy against asymptomatic infection of 27%.
Authors noted they are not yet able to assess the duration of protection as first trials were initiated in April 2020 and all disease episodes have accrued within six months of the first dose being administered.
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Take note any Labour or Green voters who mistakenly believe they’re voting for left wing parties.
@Rochelle Hart: Why do supposedly left-wing parties support reducing the money DCC has to spend, by repeatedly reducing property tax?
That’s a populist policy, not a left policy. Greens + Labour are right to pull out of that BS.
@Michael Barry: Because they believe in housing as an essential right, not as assets to be taxed.
The property tax doesn’t serve as a wealth tax since it applies to even those in the most modest homes and since it’s beyond a council’s remit to remove the property tax, the best they can do is reduce the impact.
@Michael Barry: because many people on low incomes just happen to be in houses that have become valuable.
Do you propose taxing people out of their homes or having them live in unheated homes and all for big government to squander it on wasters and illegal immigrants
@Michael Barry: That is a bit of a red herring that labour included in their press statement. But there was no requirement in the progressive alliance to vote one way or another on the property tax. Socdems have consistently voted to have the maximum property tax within the +15 percent limit allowed. FG and FF have consistently voted to reduce it in the past. It’s unlikely that Labour can make them vote to increase it. That represents a very small part of the overall council budget (2% from the article I saw on Dublin Inquirer which has lots of detail). So the feeling was that pushing for a left alliance was the most important thing.
@David O’Reilly: and I think that the property tax should have some kind of means test. As people said above there are so many people with a fixed income who really struggle with that bill and they may just have a ginormously expensive house because of Ireland’s cyclical crackers property market. I hear it constantly when I’m talking to people in North Dublin anyway. Lots of people who can pay it without batting an eyelid though. It should be clear what they are getting for that though – like in the UK council tax is pretty big but you get your bins and lots of council services that are apparent like street cleaning etc.
That sounds like a solid coalition. I give it 3 months.
@honey badger: I’m sure they care that you give it anytime at all. At least they are trying to change things all you seem to do with your time is post dribble on here
@Ger Whelan: In fairness the lot of them would fall out with their own shadows…..3 months is very ootimistic!!
Great idea in principle. The only way to have real change is that all left leaning parties to come together to vote out fgff,
Labour and greens could be wiped out next election.
So they need to decide what side of history they want to be on.
Labour sold out and electorate don’t forget that. If they have any chance, they need to go back to their roots of supporting the ordinary workers.
Disgraceful Labour, they are at it all over again.
Propping up FF FG.
Refusing to enter left alliance in Dublin city Council.
You won’t see my vote ever again
@Niall Murphy: You don’t understand local politics if you think this is about “propping up FFG”
@Michael Barry: or that SF are left. All they are doing is bandwagoning. They’ll soon exhaust all possibilities.
@Alan: ” bandwagoning” excellent, even my predictive text couldn’t offer an alternative to that……I’ll use in discussion
They’ll be riding unicorns are the chamber in no time. Rainbows everywhere.
Well done Labour. Never get into bed with terrorists.
@Dave c: They already did that when they jumped into bed with FF. Its founding members were originally part of SF and the IRA and split to form their own political party and terrorist movement which caused the Civil war.
@Ger Whelan: That was different Sinn Fein party – learn your history
@Sean Hayes: Better tell them to Update their official website so. Because there it shows its history back to its founding in the early 1900′s.
@Ger Whelan: Everything was found in this country in the 1900s .
If the parties put themselves forward under a Progressive Alliance in the coming general election they could have a breakthrough chance.
@9QRixo8H: such a diverse groups of malcontents would never be able to agree a joint program nationally. Even Sinn Fein would be reluctant to try to form a government that included PBP. When the election comes, the left parties will split the vote as per usual. The old story, governments don’t win elections, the opposition lose them.
@9QRixo8H: Are you serious? They collectively would garner 8% of the vote, if even that in a GE.
This is another ” refurbishment ” of their failed policies, and claptrap .
I honestly thought you had an idea of this works based on your posts, its OK to promote something but to tie to this is farcical.
Exactly
Alliance? More like Axis.
It won’t last there b a falling out somewhere
Lunatics/asylum
Dublin City Council should be disbanded and the management of Fingal brought in to run things.
@Notty Tee: frying pan/fire. Fingal.is about as bad as it gets.
@Notty Tee: that’s hilarious
Labour costing up to FF on the councils
Amazing! Now do something about all the scroats ruining our city!!
Great, a Far Lazy alliance of doleheads to spend my tax money on the bone idle.
In France they’d be called le Front Populaire. When will they split?
The Left axis here is primarily driven by resentment. No one believes higher taxes results in better services. It just sucks money from the real economy. Small local businesses then need grants to survive. Higher taxation validated. The virtuous Left.
Does it really matter? Councillors have no power, all important decisions are made by the city manager. We don’t even get to vote for Lord Mayor the parties take turn enjoying that gig even if the chosen one is unfit for any office.
Any member of Labour is very welcome to join the Social Democrats.
have your say