Matt Hancock gives update on EU vaccine row
Emmanuel Macron sparked a row last Friday after he took a swipe at the UK’s vaccination strategy amid a growing crisis over the distribution of jabs across Europe. The French President claimed the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine at the centre of the storm appeared to be “quasi-ineffective” on people older than 65. Now Health Secretary Matt Hancock appears to have hit back as he defended the UK’s AstraZeneca vaccine and added the UK Government had always “supported the science.”
Mr Hancock told LBC: “Well I have a high degree of confidence that they will stick to their word in saying there will stick to contractual commitments.
“I think that is the right way to go, I think that is the way we always should have been.
“The good news is we have a really really tight contract with those who are supplying the vaccine to us and I look forward to those being delivered on
“You know we go in their early and we supported the science and then we supported the manufacturer and then we supported the testing.
JUST IN: French fishing boats to PLUNDER English Channel
We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.
“So, for instance, this news from last night that the Oxford vaccine is both effective at stopping hospitalisation so it protects individuals.
But also that it reduces transmission by about two-thirds so it protects everybody else as well,” he continued.
“We found that result because having back the science and then having struck this really fantastic contract to work with AstraZeneca.
“We also put in the testing during the clinical trial so we could follow each person who was on the trail and find out if they tested positive whether or not they had any symptoms.
Tony Blair labels Macron’s vaccine comment as ‘incorrect’
“It is the only trail around the world that I know of that did that.”
On Tuesday evening scientists at the University of Oxford vindicated the UK’s decision to maximise the number of people receiving their first dose.
Tests showed the vaccine has a 76 percent efficacy against symptomatic infection for three months after a single dose, with greater effectiveness when a second is given later.
The findings of the study, which are yet to be peer-reviewed, found between day 22 and day 90 after the first dose of the vaccine was administered its efficiency was 76 percent.
DON’T MISS
Captain Tom’s heartbreaking final words to world before dying [INSIGHT]
Queen put foot down amid Megxit decision despite Charles’s hopes [ANALYSIS]
Heavy snow forecast: Britain set for 17 DAYS of snow from tonight [FORECAST]
The paper added the vaccine efficacy was 82.4 percent with 12 or more weeks to the second dose being administered.
Professor Andrew Pollard, chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial, and study co-author, said: “It also supports the policy recommendation made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation 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.”
Speaking on Friday, Mr Macron said two jabs needed to be injected within 28 days for them to work.
Today, the UK past the milestone of administering 10 million coronavirus vaccines, meanwhile France has immunised less than two million people.
Source: Read Full Article