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AstraZeneca vaccine reduces the spread of coronavirus and is effective with a single dose

2021-02-03T15:55:36.230Z


One study reveals that even a single injection is 76% effective. But the new British variant of the virus is increasingly causing concern with new data.


The vaccine developed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the British University of Oxford not only

protects people from serious illness and death

from COVID-19, but also greatly delays the spread of the coronavirus and is highly effective with a single dose. according to a new study released Wednesday.

The research was carried out by Oxford University itself and is the first to show evidence that

a single dose can reduce transmission

, renewing hopes for a faster exit from the pandemic.

However, the appearance of new variants means that many scientists still have reservations about the real effectiveness that vaccines will have against the pandemic.

In the UK, there is also

a mutation, called E484K or

Eeek

,

which can make the virus go undetected, limiting the level of protection of vaccines. 

[New variants could re-infect people who have already fallen ill with COVID-19]

The United Kingdom is already battling a variant, apparently more contagious and lethal, which was detected in December and has reached the United States.

To this

are added the new strains

detected in South Africa and Brazil, which have made the pharmaceutical companies review the vaccines they have produced for the original virus. 

Protection with a dose against contagion

One of the most positive news about the study is that it found that

a single dose of the vaccine

, which is not yet licensed in the United States, was 76% effective for up to three months after it was given.

The vaccine is developed in any case to achieve its maximum efficacy and duration with two doses. 

A nurse prepares a dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for healthcare workers in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

AP

The scientists also evaluated how effective the vaccine was in preventing contagion if a person was sick.

For this, they took samples from the participants every week and analyzed for traces of the virus.

If the virus cannot be detected, it is not transmitted, even if the person is sick.

Scientists found a 67% reduction in positive tests among vaccinated people, according to The New York Times. 

The results of the investigation, which has not yet undergone an independent scientific review, renewed hopes in the fight against the virus.

"

Now we know that the vaccine also reduces transmission and that will help us all to get out of this pandemic

," Matt Hancock, the British health secretary, said in an interview with the BBC.

Some scientists have cautioned, however, that

more data is needed. 

[The Biden Administration begins shipping vaccines to pharmacies across the country]

The results initially support the strategy implemented by Great Britain and other countries to prioritize

the provision of as many first doses as possible

, leaving aside concerns that second doses will be given later than the protocol indicates.

The Oxford and AstraZeneca researchers also found that the vaccine was more effective when the interval between the first and second doses was longer than originally set (four weeks).

With at least three months of difference between one dose and another, the vaccine was

82%

effective

, while with six weeks it was 55%.

The questions that the Eeek mutation opens

The appearance of the E484K mutation in some infections caused by the UK variant is "

a disturbing development, although not entirely unexpected

," Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester told The Washington Post. 

The Government of Mexico authorizes the emergency use of the Russian vaccine against COVID-19 Sputnik V

Feb. 3, 202100: 33

The mutation alters the protein structure of the virus, which is what vaccines target and many of the antibodies the body produces naturally.

The mutation can help the virus go undetected and thus prevent an immune response. 

The potential for the mutation to make

the virus go undetected

raises concern for vaccine developers, who aim to generate antibodies that detect and destroy invaders. 

[What is known about the Sputnik V vaccine, which will be distributed in Latin America]

All viruses mutate and

SARS-CoV-2 is evolving

as it circulates in tens of millions of people around the world.

The

Eeek

mutation

 is not really new: traces of it had been located at the beginning of the pandemic, albeit in isolation.

Now, it generates attention with the appearance of the other fast-spreading strains. 


With information from The New York Times and The Washington Post. 

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-02-03

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