The hesitancy of many European countries to use the AstraZeneca vaccine (between bouts of complaining the company hasn’t delivered enough doses) has been widely reported. Less discussed is the delay in US authorities approving the vaccine for use there. But with the reporting of results from a US trial, that should now be a formality. The trial, run by Rochester and Columbia universities, involved 32,449 volunteers in the US, Peru and Chile. Two thirds were given the actual vaccine and the rest a saline placebo. In all, 141 people developed a symptomatic Covid illness. Those who were given the vaccine, however, were found to have their risk of developing symptomatic infection cut by 79 per cent. Their risk of developing serious illness was reduced by 100 per cent.
Importantly, this trial included a large number of over-65s — who made up 20 per cent of the participants.
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