‘People around the world can be confident in this vaccine’: Matt Hancock lashes back at bitter EU jibes against AstraZeneca vaccine hailing latest study showing it ‘works well’ by stopping serious Covid infections AND spread

• Officials in France, Germany, Sweden and Poland said they would not use the Oxford jab for over-65s
• French President Emmanuel Macron ruffled feathers by calling it ‘quasi-ineffective’ for elderly people
• Oxford expert Dr Andrew Pollard said: ‘I don’t understand what the statement means’ and Hancock hit back
• Health Secretary said today: ‘My view is that we should listen to the scientists’
• Research found Oxford jab 84% effective with doses 12 weeks apart, and cut transmission by two thirds

Matt Hancock this morning said ‘people right around the world can be confident in this Oxford vaccine’ as data showed the British jab can stop coronavirus spreading after European leaders snubbed the vaccine for elderly people.

The Health Secretary appeared this morning to trumpet the success of Oxford University’s study, which found that spacing the two doses of the jab by three months made it 82 per cent effective at stopping Covid.

A single dose gave 76 per cent of people total protection against developing Covid-19 symptoms before their second jab, and the two-dose course appeared to stop two thirds of people (67 per cent) from catching coronavirus at all.

The study came as a glimmering success for the UK as it reinforced the science behind the controversial decision to extend the gap between the first and second doses from three weeks to 12, Mr Hancock said. And he added that discovering it could stop transmission – previously unknown – could ‘help us all to get out of this pandemic’.

And he used the study to hit back against critics in Europe, where leaders in Germany, France, Sweden and Poland have said they won’t use the vaccine on over-65s because there isn’t enough data to prove it works. French President Emmanuel Macron ruffled feathers this week by dubbing the jab ‘quasi-ineffective’ for elderly people.

When asked what he thought of Mr Macron’s comment, one of Oxford’s vaccine makers Dr Andrew Pollard said on Radio 4: ‘I don’t understand what the statement means’.

Mr Hancock said today: ‘[This study] does show the world that the Oxford jab works, it works well, it protects you – because there were no hospitalisations amongst those who had the jab – and it slows transmission by around two thirds.’

On Mr Macron’s comment he added: ‘My view is that we should listen to the scientists… and the science on this one was already pretty clear. And then, with this publication overnight, was absolutely crystal clear that the Oxford vaccine not only works, but works well.’ 

In another ray of hope from Oxford’s research, Dr Pollard said he is confident that the current vaccines will still prevent Covid-19 in people who get infected with mutated variants of the virus.

But the prospect still looms that new vaccines will be needed for more future rollouts as medics look to keep on top of the evolving virus to stop it getting past immunity developed to older versions of the disease. Experts have suggested a yearly vaccination campaign like flu may be the answer, or that boosters will be need to tack on protection for new variants. Only time will tell how long the current jabs give immunity for.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today hit back against French President Emmanuel Macron’s claim that the Oxford vaccine  was ‘quasi-ineffective’ for elderly people, as he said last night’s research makes it ‘absolutely crystal clear’ that the jab works. Dr Andrew Pollard, the lead investigator of Oxford’s study, said of Mr Macron’s comment: ‘I don’t understand what the statement means’

Research found that the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab was 84% effective at preventing Covid-19 with doses 12 weeks apart and it appeared to get better the further apart the doses were (shown graph top left). And it also proved that there was a high level of protection from disease for weeks and even months after even just a single dose (bottom graph)

Early research suggested that if a vaccine could prevent 65% of transmission, as Oxford now says its vaccine does, the country’s death rate could be kept to the low hundreds per day or fewer from late March onwards if the rule of six is kept in place. The model is based on a large majority of the population having a vaccine with that level of effectiveness

The national effort to suppress the virus was given another injection of optimism yesterday when a study found the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab had a strong impact on reducing transmission.  Analysis also found the first dose was extremely successful in preventing people from falling ill within the 12-week time window between getting a second dose.

Mr Hancock described the findings as ‘absolutely superb’, adding: ‘It further reinforces our confidence that vaccines are capable of reducing transmission and protecting people from this awful disease.’  

A scientific paper published last night by Oxford University researchers themselves, including Dr Pollard, found that a single shot of its coronavirus vaccine is 76 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic illness and may have a ‘substantial effect’ on transmission.

In a huge boost to the UK’s immunisation drive, analysis of the jab trials found the first dose was extremely successful in preventing people from falling ill within the 12-week time window between getting a second dose.  

When the second dose is administered after three months, the jab’s efficacy is bumped up to 82.4 per cent, according to the study, which has been submitted to The Lancet for publication.  

The results, from more than 17,000 trial volunteers, suggest Britain’s vaccination gamble to delay its dosing regimen has paid off. 

In a bid to get wider vaccine coverage quicker, regulators pivoted from their original plan to give people their second dose after 21 days when the Oxford University/AstraZeneca jab was approved in late December.

They pushed back the second dose for 12 weeks in the hope that giving partial protection to as many vulnerable people as possible would drive down hospital admissions.  

Analysis of PCR coronavirus swab tests carried out on nearly 7,000 patients in the UK arm of Oxford’s trial suggested the vaccine may reduce transmission by 67 per cent.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the findings as ‘hugely encouraging’, adding: ‘It further reinforces our confidence that vaccines are capable of reducing transmission and protecting people from this awful disease.’

Dr Gillies O’Bryan-Tear, of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, said the study suggested the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine could be the ‘holy grail’. 

He added: ‘The data support the recommendation to delay the second dose of the Oxford vaccine out to 12 weeks.

‘If these vaccines reduce transmission to the extent reported, it will mean that the easing of social restrictions will be enabled sooner than if we have to wait for herd immunity, which may never in fact be achieved because of insufficient vaccine population coverage.

‘That would be the holy grail of the global vaccine rollout, and these data bring us one step closer.’

Since numerous vaccines have been shown to block symptomatic Covid, officials have turned their attention to how effective jabs are at stopping spread altogether. 

Vaccines that can both prevent serious illness and make a dent in the virus’ ability to spread will help drive down Britain’s epidemic much quicker.

Professor Andrew Pollard, chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial, and co-author of the latest analysis, said: ‘These new data provide an important verification of the interim data that was used by more than 25 regulators including the MHRA [the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency] and the EMA [European Medicines Agency] to grant the vaccine emergency use authorisation.

‘It also supports the policy recommendation made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for a 12-week prime-boost interval, as they look for the optimal approach to roll out, and reassures us that people are protected from 22 days after a single dose of the vaccine.’ 

As part of the latest analysis, Oxford researchers went back through their vaccine trial data – which aimed to test how well the two-dose regimen worked – to see how much protection a single shot provides, and for how long.

The research looked at 17,177 participants from three trials in the UK, Brazil and South Africa who were monitored weekly throughout the months-long studies

They found the vaccine had an efficacy of 54.9 per cent when it was administered in two doses within six weeks of each other.

This rose to 82.4 per cent when the second dose was pushed back 12 weeks or more. Scientists are still not certain as to why the longer space between doses provides more protection.

One of the prevailing theories is that giving a second dose too soon can interrupt the immune system before it’s had the chance to fully process the first one.

Creating the initial antibodies and memory cells after the first vaccine can take weeks, which is also why there is a lag before protection is achieved.     

The finding is significant because Government vaccine advisers have recommended that the second dose can be delayed up to 12 weeks in a bid to get more people protected quickly.

Britain came under international criticism, including from the World Health Organization (WHO), for the move because the original vaccine trials did not specifically look at this dosing regimen. 

Only four local authorities recorded more cases in the seven days to January 28 (left) than in the seven days to January 21 (right)

A single shot of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine might NOT be enough to protect over-80s from South African variant, Cambridge study finds 

Delaying the second dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine could leave some elderly patients vulnerable to the South African Covid variant, research suggests.

Laboratory tests by Cambridge University found that a single shot of the jab might not stimulate a strong enough immune response to kill the new strain in over-80s. 

Antibody levels only appeared to be protective after a second dose — but the researchers admitted the jab is still likely to be ‘less effective’ when dealing with the E484K mutation on the South African variant’s spike protein. 

Experts believe the mutation — which is also present in the Brazilian Covid variants — helps the strain ‘hide’ from the body’s natural defences. 

The news is particularly worrying as the UK Government has this week warned that cases of the South Africa variant are cropping up in people who haven’t travelled there, and the same E484K mutation is also appearing on unrelated cases caused by the Kent variant and even older versions of the virus. 

Top Government advisers and vaccine manufacturers insist the current crop of jabs should still work against the variant – when given in the full two doses – because the antibodies they make can still stop the disease from taking hold in the body. 

Antibodies — disease-fighting proteins created by vaccines and in response to previous infection — are also not the immune system’s only layer of defence.

Scientists reacting to the findings said now was ‘a good time to switch’ away from Britain’s one-dose strategy, which aims to get wider vaccine coverage quicker.

Regulators pivoted from their original plan to give people their second dose after 21 days when the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine was approved at the end of December.

They pushed back the second dose for 12 weeks in a bid to give partial protection to as many vulnerable people as possible and drive down hospital admissions. And the strategy has been extremely successful, with 9.6million people now vaccinated with at least a single dose of either Pfizer’s or AstraZeneca’s jab. 

Another significant finding in the Oxford study is that the vaccine is likely to significantly reduce transmission of the virus.

PCR swabs showed there was a 67 per cent reduction in positive tests in those who had been vaccinated – in another sign the UK’s inoculation gamble has paid off.

A positive PCR would signal that even someone who is vaccinated and immune to the disease is carrying fragments of the virus in their nose or throat which they could pass to others.  

Reducing Covid’s spread is critical for country’s to achieve ‘herd immunity’, when so many people are immune that a disease peters out. 

In the coming days, the Oxford researchers hope to also report data regarding the new variants, and expect the findings to be broadly similar to those already reported by fellow vaccine developers. 

Studies of approved jabs by Pfizer and Moderna have shown that the vaccines can stimulate a strong enough immune response to neutralise the South African and Brazilian variants. 

But there are still question marks about how protective a single dose of either jabs will be effective against the worrying mutant strains.

Results from laboratory tests by Cambridge University published today found that a single shot of the Pfizer jab might not stimulate a strong enough immune response to kill the South African strain in over-80s. 

Antibody levels only appeared to be protective after a second dose — but the researchers admitted the jab is still likely to be ‘less effective’ when dealing with the E484K mutation on the South African variant’s spike protein. 

Experts believe the mutation — which is also present in the Brazilian Covid variants — helps the strain ‘hide’ from the body’s natural defences. 

The news is particularly worrying as the UK Government has this week warned that cases of the South Africa variant are cropping up in people who haven’t travelled there, and the same E484K mutation is also appearing on unrelated cases caused by the Kent variant and even older versions of the virus. 

The UK’s reproduction ‘R’ rate is believed to have been wrestled down to between 0.7 and 1.1, meaning infection rates are falling or virtually flat. 

Yesterday 16,840 new cases were recorded, marking the lowest daily rise for eight weeks and offering more evidence that restrictions are inhibiting the spread of the disease.

The 1,449 new deaths also heralded a drop of 11.2 per cent from last Tuesday’s toll of 1,631 fatalities due to the disease. 

The PHE data showed Knowsley in Merseyside continues to have the highest infection rate in England, with 922 new cases recorded in the seven days to January 28 – the equivalent of 611.2 cases per 100,000 people.

However this is down from 898.2 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to January 21. 

Sandwell in the West Midlands has the second highest rate, down from 840.6 to 546.8, with 1,796 new cases. Slough in Berkshire is in third place, down from 807.8 to 543.0, with 812 new cases.

Devon boasts the three areas with the smallest coronavirus presence, with Torridge only recording 28 cases per 100,000. 

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