A CORONAVIRUS vaccine developed in the UK can prevent up to 90% of people from getting Covid-19, according to new data.

AstraZeneca and Oxford University announced that their jab is effective in preventing many people getting ill and has been shown to work in different age groups, including the elderly.

The jab could start to be rolled out in the UK from December, with the bulk of vaccination in the new year.

One of the dosing patterns used by the scientists suggested 90% effectiveness if one half dose is given followed by a further full dose.

Another dosing pattern showed 62% efficacy when one full dose is given followed by another full dose.

The combined analysis from both dosing regimes resulted in an average efficacy of 70.4%.

Andover Advertiser: PA MediaPA Media

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) would now assess if the 90% effectiveness dosing regime could be used.

He said: “I’m really very pleased, I really welcome these figures – this data that shows that the vaccine in the right dosage can be up to 90% effective.”

He added: “If this all goes well in the next couple of weeks, then we are looking at the potential of starting the vaccination programme next month for this Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as well as the Pfizer vaccine.

“But in all cases the bulk of the rollout will be in the new year.

“We are looking with high confidence now that after Easter things can really start to get back to normal.”

Professor Andrew Pollard, chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial at Oxford, said: “These  findings show that we have an effective vaccine that will save many lives.

“Excitingly, we’ve found that one of our dosing regimens may be around 90% effective and, if this dosing regime is used, more people could be vaccinated with planned vaccine supply.”

Speaking on BBC Radio 4 Today’s programme about the 90% finding, he added: “There is just a hint in the data at the moment that those who got that regime with higher protection, there is a suggestion that it was also able to reduce asymptomatic infection.

“If that is right, we might be able to halt the virus in its tracks and stop transmitting between people.”

Pascal Soriot, chief executive officer at AstraZeneca, said the news is an “important milestone” in the fight against the pandemic.

The UK has placed orders for 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine – enough to vaccinate most of the population – with rollout expected in the coming weeks if the jab is approved.

It also has orders for 40 million doses of the jab from Pfizer and BioNTech, which has been shown to be 95% effective.

Another jab from Moderna, of which the UK has five million doses on order, is 95% effective, according to trial data.

The results from the Oxford and AstraZeneca trial showed that the arm where one half dose was given followed by a full dose at least one month apart involved 2,741 people. This was the 90% finding.

The other dosing regime involving 8,895 people showed 62% efficacy when given as two full doses at least one month apart.

Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases and global health at the University of Oxford, tweeted: “Oxford jab is far cheaper, and is easier to store and get to every corner of the world than the other two.”

He said the vaccine could be stored in a fridge rather than the minus 70C to minus 80C needed for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

He added: “This is very welcome news, we can clearly see the end of tunnel now.

“There were no Covid hospitalisations or deaths in people who got the Oxford vaccine.

“Although no serious reactions were reported in people who got the Oxford vaccine, we do need to await the full safety data and to monitor safety of all vaccines carefully if and when they are rolled out."