A new Covid-19 vaccine has shown 89% efficacy in large-scale UK trials.
The US firm Novavax has created a vaccine that is effective against the new strain of the Coronavirus in the UK and is set for distribution later this year.
“the Novavax jab can be stored at fridge temperature making it more accessible to those around the UK.”
60 million doses of the jab have been ordered and will be produced in the North-East of England in Stockton-on-Tees.
This vaccine was successful in Phase Three trials, where more than 15,000 people aged 18-84 received the jab and it proved to be 86% effective.
Like the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the Novavax jab can be stored at fridge temperature, making it more accessible to those around the UK.
Chief Executive of Novavax, Stan Erck, said results from this trial were “spectacular” and “as good as we could have hoped.”
Erck told the BBC that a manufacturing plant should be up and running in Stockton-on-Tees by March or April.
“Even with the South Africa variant, which has undergone the most worrisome changes, it offered a level of protection similar to that given by flu shots against influenza,” said Michelle Roberts, BBC Health Editor.
Another vaccine developed by Janssen has proved 66% effective and only requires one dose.
Janssen, the pharmaceutical company owned by Johnson & Johnson, is currently investigating whether giving a second dose will provide longer lasting and stronger protection.
Both the Novavax and Janssen vaccines will need to be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency before they are ready for distribution.
“more than 7.4 million people in the UK have received their first dose of the Coronavirus vaccine”
The UK has so far approved three vaccines; Oxford-AstraZeneca; Pfizer and BioNTech; and Moderna, and is leading the global race for complete inoculation of its population.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that these new vaccines will be “another weapon in our arsenal to beat this awful virus.”
According to the latest government figures, more than 7.4 million people in the UK have received their first dose of the Coronavirus vaccine, with many more hoping to receive full inoculation by the summer.
Madeleine Raine
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