Beta/France/AZ Vaccine

[fanofsun]

Anyone know how effective the AZ vaccine is against the Beta variant?

And I’ve mentioned France as there is a rise of the beta variant in France

There was a clinical trial of 2000 healthy, young volunteers in SA which found that AZ had only 10% efficacy against symptomatic infection. It's likely to be slightly better against severe infection and death but we don't have any data on that. We definitely don't want it taking hold here when our over 40s have mostly been vaccinated with AZ.

Yes I am CEV so had my vaccine early on and got AZ. Bit worried

And before someone comes along saying it was only a lab study so doesn't count, here's the journal article where you can clearly see that as well as the lab study it was also a clinical trial where 23 of the placebo recipients and 19 of the vaccine recipients contacted covid, 95% of which was beta.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa2102214

Someone is obviously worried

This fills me with fear. Was so scared of the risks of blood clots with AstraZeneca and now to hear this, what's the bloody point!

I know S.Africa stopped rolling out the AZ vaccine as it was found to be not very effective against the variant.

@Whichjab who is worried? I guess you’re in tip top health

Look at the figures for the % of people with the Beta variant in France, which are a very low percentage. This decision and its timing, especially compared with other countries in Europe and their level of infections, smacks of political reasons not clinical ones.

I’m more worried about getting the Beta variant full stop cos I had AZ & CEV.

@newnortherner111 that’s good to know though. Hopefully it’s less transmissible

It's definitely less transmissible than delta - I believe it might even be a little less transmissible than alpha.

South Africa rejected all their AZ vaccines and gave them away - and if you know what a terrible state they’re in (for many reasons not just Covid) you’ll understand why that’s worrying information.

On radio 4 this morning there was someone saying the cases are all on la reunion - French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean - not on mainland France.

This is not something to worry about - worry that the lunatics have well and truly taken over the asylum.

I know I really am just so fed up now I know we all are. Just want normality and I know we all do.