How does the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine work?
As the new coronavirus variant spreads rapidly from the UK across the globe, the leader of the firm behind the Oxford/AstraZenecavaccine said he believed researchers had found the winning formula using two doses, raising hopes it is more effective than first thought.
AstraZeneca chief Pascal Soriot said the firm would publish the results, amid reports that the UKs medicines regulator could approve the jab within days. According to The Sunday Telegraph, the Oxford vaccine could be rolled out from as soon as 4 January.
Meanwhile, scientists are calling on the government to put the entire country under tier 4 lockdown restrictions, which would see all non-essential shops, close-contact services and leisure and entertainment venues closing alongside the hospitality sector.
The highly contagious new variant of coronavirus has been detected in every part of the UK and has been reported elsewhere in the world, including Japan, Denmark, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, Canada, Sweden and Spain.
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Canada, Sweden, Spain become latest countries to report new coronavirus variant
Canada, Sweden and Spain have become the latest countries to report cases of the highly contagious new coronavirus variant, which is believed to have emerged in the UK.
The first two confirmed cases in Canada were found in Ontario, said associate chief medical officer Dr Barbara Yaffe on Saturday.
In Sweden, it was detected in a traveller who fell ill after arriving from the UK and later tested positive.
My colleague Colin Drury has the report:
They join Japan, Denmark, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and France in detecting highly contagious new version of bug believed to have emerged in UK
Kate Ng27 December 2020 10:00
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Oxford vaccine rollout planned for 4 January – report
The government is also planning to ramp up the mass vaccination programme and aims for two million people to receive their first dose of either the Oxford/AstraZeneca or the Pfizer/BioNTech within a fortnight.
Sports stadiums and conference venues have been set up as mass vaccination centres and are ready to launch in the second week of January, reported the newspaper, as long as the UKs Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approves the Oxford vaccine within days.
Kate Ng27 December 2020 09:40
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AstraZeneca boss dubs Oxford vaccine winning formula
AstraZeneca chief Paul Soriot has said he believed researchers had found the winning formula using two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine candidate, raising hopes it is more effective than first thought.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Mr Soriot promised to publish the results, amid reports that the UK regulator could approve the jab within days.
It comes as Canada became the latest country to detect cases of the new highly contagious variant of Covid-19, which is thought to have first emerged in the UK. New cases of the variants are being detected in countries all over the world.
As of Christmas Eve, the Department of Health and Social Care said more than 600,000 people had received their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
Kate Ng27 December 2020 09:26
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Good morning and welcome to The Independents liveblog, following developments on the coronavirus pandemic in the UK and worldwide.
Kate Ng27 December 2020 09:11
