COVID-19: Oxford university says their vaccine is 70 percent effective

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Oxford University says their vaccine can protect people from COVID-19, according to findings released.

Interim findings published about the study show that the vaccine is 70 percent effective in stopping people from developing COVID-19 symptoms.

The findings are based on trials that involved over 20,000 people in both the UK and Brazil. Out of the people who got two doses of the vaccine, 30 people developed COVID-19 compared to 101 cases among people who got a placebo.

This is the fourth vaccine to be released in a space of a few weeks. Two weeks ago, Pfizer, Russia and Moderna all released findings on ongoing vaccine trials.

Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that have already shown to be 95 percent effective, the Oxford vaccine is likely to be more accessible to people in Low Developed Countries like Uganda. A total of two billion doses at a cost of USD 3 per dose are expected to be given out. The vaccine is part of the the global COVAX campaign.

According to Oxford, the vaccine can be stored under normal refrigeration conditions of 2-8 degrees Celsius. The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius and as such things like dry ice might be needed to store the vaccine.

All three vaccines have applied to different health agencies like the World Health Organisation and the European Medicines Agency for early approval use.

The vaccine is expected to be released either at the end of the year or early next year. If it gets approval, the vaccine will be given first to people most at risk of getting infected with the disease like front line health workers.

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