A modified version of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine (AZN.L) designed to fight a coronavirus variant first documented in South Africa could be ready by the end of 2021, an AstraZeneca official in Austria said in an interview published on Sunday.
Sarah Walters, the country’s manager of AstraZeneca in Austria, told the Kurier newspaper that studies, so far, indicating that the existing AstraZeneca vaccine was less effective against the most infectious variant first documented in South Africa were “too small to draw final conclusions “.
“Meanwhile, AstraZeneca and Oxford University have begun modifying the vaccine for the South African variant and we hope it will be ready by the end of the year, if necessary,” Walters told Kurier.
Walters blamed the challenges, including delays in delivering AstraZeneca’s shot to the European Union, on the “complex process” of producing a vaccine, along with the extremely high demand arising from the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
“We had to work without keeping a supply in reserve. As a result, we could not make up for unexpected events,” he said. “We are confident that we will fulfill our commitment to deliver 300 million doses to the European Union this year.”
The Kurier interview did not directly address ongoing investigations into health problems by the AstraZeneca shooting. The EU has put a warning label on the vaccine about its possible link to extremely rare blood clots, Denmark has completely stopped using the vaccine and Britain has advised people under 30 to have another vaccine brand. Read more
Asked about “thousands” of people in Austria canceling their appointments for AstraZeneca shooting, Walters said the company’s plan was to “continue to provide transparent information on efficacy and safety to doctors so they can report properly.” to people ”of the benefits and risks. .
British and European Union drug regulators have said the overall benefits of using the vaccine outweigh the risks of rare clotting.
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