AstraZeneca says U.S. trial data shows its Covid-19 vaccine is 79 percent effective

LONDON — AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is safe and 79 percent effective against the disease, according to trial results released by the company Monday.

AstraZeneca will now release its data for analysis by the scientific community in peer-review literature, and apply to the Food and Drugs Administration for emergency use approval.

The Phase 3 trial, conducted in the U.S., Chile and Peru with 32,000 volunteers, also shows the vaccine is 100 percent effective against preventing severe disease and hospitalization, the company said in a press release.

More than 50 countries across the world have approved the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed in partnership with Oxford University, including the United Kingdom, which approved it in December and has vaccinated half its adult population.

The results showed an even higher rate of effectiveness than studies conducted in Oxford, the company said.

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“These results are great news as they show the remarkable efficacy of the vaccine in a new population and are consistent with the results from Oxford-led trials,” said Andrew Pollard, professor of pediatric infection and immunity, and the lead investigator of the Oxford University trial.

“We can expect strong impact against Covid-19 across all ages and for people of all different backgrounds from widespread us of the vaccine.”

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source: nbcnews.com