Confidence in coronavirus vaccines grows 1:04
London (CNN) -
UK scientists have launched the world's first study examining whether different coronavirus vaccines can be used safely for two-dose regimens, an approach they say could provide additional flexibility and even increase the protection against covid-19 if approved.
Participants in the 13-month study will receive the Oxford / AstraZeneca and Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines in different combinations and at different intervals, the UK Department of Health and Social Care said in a press release.
"If we show that these vaccines can be used interchangeably in the same program, this will greatly increase the flexibility of vaccine administration and could provide clues on how to increase the breadth of protection against new virus strains," said Matthew Snape. , Senior Investigator and Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Vaccines at the University of Oxford.
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Enrollment in the study, funded by the British government, is currently ongoing and preliminary results are expected over the summer, according to the press release.
It was specified that the current vaccine dosage regimen for the general public will remain unchanged in the UK.
But if the study shows promising results, the government may consider revising the recommended vaccine regimen.
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The study will also seek to determine whether vaccination is most effective with an interval of four or 12 weeks between the two doses.
More than 800 people are expected to participate in the trial and will begin receiving their vaccinations in mid-February.
An analysis published Wednesday by Oxford scientists, but not yet peer-reviewed, suggested that there could be greater efficacy if the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is given with a longer time interval.
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The safety of mixing vaccines
Minister for Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment Nadhim Zahawi said the new trial would provide vital evidence on the safety of the two injections when used in different ways.
"No use broader than the study, or as part of our vaccine implementation program, will be approved until the researchers and the regulator are absolutely confident that the approach is safe and effective," he said.
Jonathan Van-Tam, England's deputy chief medical officer, said that given the challenges of implementing mass vaccination of populations and "potential global supply constraints," there were advantages to having data to support a more flexible immunization program, if needed and Regulator approved.
“It is also possible that by combining vaccines, the immune response can be enhanced by giving even higher levels of antibodies that last longer;
Unless this is evaluated in a clinical trial, we just won't know, ”Van-Tam said.
Currently the official guide of the United Kingdom Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization states that the second dose must be with the same vaccine as the first.
"It is not recommended to switch between vaccines or skip the second dose, as this can affect the duration of protection," he adds.
However, in certain circumstances where a patient attends a site for a second vaccination and what was given for the first dose is unknown or not available, it is' reasonable to offer a dose of the product available locally to complete the schedule. »Says the guideline, particularly if the person is at high risk of infection or unlikely to attend again.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization do not currently recommend the exchange of coronavirus vaccines, as there is currently no data available examining whether doing so would still provide the same level of protection.
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The successful implementation of vaccination
The United Kingdom has been one of the worst affected nations in the world during the pandemic, and is among the countries with the highest numbers of deaths from covid-19 in proportion to its population.
However, it has demonstrated world leadership by launching a successful vaccination program, becoming the first country to approve and administer a clinically proven vaccine.
More than 10 million people in the UK, around 15% of the population, have received at least one dose to date.
The UK aims to have offered everyone in the four groups identified as most vulnerable, including those over 70 and frontline health and social care workers, a first dose of vaccine by mid-February.
And Health Secretary Matt Hancock said earlier this month that the vaccines would be offered to all adults in the UK "by the fall."
Meanwhile, the launch of the vaccine is accelerating in the United States, the country that has recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide.
So far, nearly 34 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States, according to data released Wednesday by the CDC.
That means just over 8% of the U.S. population - more than 27 million people - have now received at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 6.4 million people have been fully vaccinated. as shown by CDC data.
At the current rate, all adults in the United States could be fully vaccinated in about a year.
Assuming that 75% of US adults must be fully vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, the United States could reach this threshold around Halloween.
Israel, with a population of around nine million, has led the world with its vaccination program.
All Israelis aged 16 and over are now immediately eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Thursday.
Come en masse.
Take advantage of a situation that does not exist in almost any other country in the world.
This is the only way we will defeat the coronavirus together, "the minister said in a statement.
Figures from the Ministry of Health show that 3.3 million people have received a first dose, of which more than 1.9 million have also received the second.
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Problems with vaccine supplies
Other countries are struggling to overcome problems with the supply and distribution of vaccines.
Last week, a war of words broke out between the European Union and AstraZeneca after European Union officials said the company had told them it intended to supply 'considerably less' doses in the coming weeks than agreed due to production problems.
And South America accounts for about 15% of the world's reported COVID-19 cases, but less than 3% of the global vaccine doses administered so far, according to data compiled by the University of Oxford.
About 70% of the total coronavirus vaccine doses administered globally have been in the 50 richest countries, while only 0.1% of them have been administered in the 50 poorest countries, according to an analysis by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The International Federation described the disparity as alarming, saying it could have "deadly and devastating" consequences, warning that if large areas around the world remain unvaccinated, the virus will continue to circulate and mutate.
Workers load the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine as they arrive at an airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, in this photo taken on February 1, 2021.
Questions about AstraZeneca Vaccine Data
As vaccination programs in Europe gain momentum, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, France, Austria, and Germany have decided not to recommend the use of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine for people over 65 years of age due to a lack of data on that group. old.
On Wednesday, Belgium recommended against giving the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine to people over 55, citing a lack of sufficient data.
Germany suggests not giving this vaccine to people over 65 0:54
On the same day, Switzerland refused to authorize the vaccine for any age group, saying that the data presented by AstraZeneca "was not yet sufficient to allow authorization" of the vaccine.
In response to Switzerland's decision, an AstraZeneca spokesperson said in a statement: 'AstraZeneca has now received a conditional marketing authorization or emergency use in about 50 countries, spanning four continents, including the most recent one in the European Union. ».
"We are confident that our vaccine is effective, well tolerated, and can have a real impact on the pandemic," the statement added.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Union's regulator, recommended authorizing the use of the vaccine among the 27 member states without an age restriction.
Empty registration desks at a regional coronavirus vaccination center in Ludwigsburg, southern Germany, on January 22, 2021.
In a statement issued when granting conditional marketing authorization for the vaccine, the EMA said that despite the lack of data, protection was expected in older adults.
Meanwhile, Denmark plans to introduce a digital vaccine passport in an effort to reopen society, help businesses and facilitate travel, the government announced Wednesday in partnership with Danish companies.
The plan would initially apply to business travelers and could eventually allow all Danes to go to restaurants, conferences, music festivals and sporting events, all of which have been restricted since a national quarantine was imposed on December 15, a measure in force until February 28.
The Government hopes that by the end of February, citizens can demonstrate that they have received the covid-19 vaccine, as it will be registered online.
Criticisms of the handling of the pandemic
A new Pew Research Center survey, conducted in November and December, finds vastly different views across the four nations surveyed - the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom - on the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Only 41% of Americans approve of the way their country is handling the pandemic, according to the survey.
When asked simply whether the country was doing a bad job or a good job, 58% of those surveyed classified it in the "bad" category.
Meanwhile, Germans overwhelmingly approve of their country's handling of the pandemic, with 77% rating it as "good."
In France, 54% of respondents approve of driving their country and in the UK, 48% did.
The survey of 4,000 adults in the four countries also found that 74% of Americans say the pandemic is affecting their daily lives a lot or a lot, compared to 67% in June.
"In Germany alone, less than half of those surveyed say that the coronavirus has changed their life, while 52% say that their life has not changed much or has not changed at all," Pew said.
But people in all four countries are optimistic about future pandemics.
In the United States, 67% say they feel optimistic about the country's ability to face future crises.
In Germany, 77% do so;
while in the United Kingdom that figure stands at 68%, and in France, at 60%.
- CNN's Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London and Christopher Rios reported from Atlanta. CNN's Michael Nedelman, Amy Cassidy, Antonia Mortensen, Arnaud Siad, Vasco Cotovio, Mike Schwartz, Andrew Carey and Samantha Tapfumaneyi contributed to this report.
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