South Africa delayed the distribution of the AstraZeneca-University of Oxford Covid-19 vaccine after data suggested it “provides minimal protection” against mild disease from the South African variant.
Sinovac Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine was approved for use by the general public by China’s medical products regulator.
Oxford University and AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine showed in a study it had 76% efficacy against symptomatic infection for three months after a single dose, which increased if the second shot is delayed, backing Britain’s vaccine rollout policy.
After months of touting its efficacy to the western world, the efficacy of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine was validated in a peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet.
Novavax Inc. expects to produce up to 150 million Covid-19 vaccine doses monthly by May or June, the company’s chief executive told Reuters, a day after reporting interim data that showed its shot to be 89% effective in a UK trial.
AstraZeneca denied the company’s Covid-19 vaccine is not very effective for people over 65 years old, after German media reports said officials fear the vaccine may not be approved in the European Union for use in the elderly.
China approved a Covid-19 vaccine developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm on Dec. 31, the country’s first approved shot for general public use as it braces for increased transmission risks over winter.
The United States authorized the use of Pfizer Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine on Dec. 11, with the first inoculations expected within days, marking a turning point in a country where the pandemic has killed more than 295,000 people.
AstraZeneca, which is jointly developing a Covid-19 vaccine with the University of Oxford, plans to begin clinical trials testing the company’s vaccine in combination with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine by the end of 2020.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 17-4 to recommend Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for individuals ages 16 years and older.