U.K. Becomes First Country to Authorize Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine.
On Wednesday, the United Kingdom gave emergency authorization to the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.
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They are the first country to do so, although much of the world is expected to follow suit.
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At three to four dollars a dose, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is cheaper than other vaccines.
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It is also much easier to store, as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine must be kept at temperatures between -112°F and -76°F.
The British government has also decided to give a first vaccine dose to as many people as possible, rather than holding supplies for quick second shots.
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They hope that expanding the initial number of inoculations and lengthening the gap between doses will curb the pandemic more quickly.
British regulators said that during the clinical trial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the first dose provided partial protection against COVID-19.
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It was found to have 70 percent efficiency against COVID-19 in the several months between the first and second shot.
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This is very good news for the world — it makes a global approach to a global pandemic much easier … , Professor Stephen Evans, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, via ‘The New York Times’.
... it will be better to get more people some level of protection than to have all of the people being vaccinated get full protection, Professor Stephen Evans, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, via ‘The New York Times’
