AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot also told the Sunday Times that researchers developing its vaccine have figured out a "winning formula" that will make the jab as effective as rival candidates. Partial results suggest that the AstraZeneca shot is about 70 per cent effective for preventing illness from the coronavirus, compared with the 95 per cent efficacy reported by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech. Asked about the vaccine's efficacy against the new variant of coronavirus spreading in the U.K., Soriot said: "So far, we think the vaccine should remain effective. British authorities have blamed the new virus variant for soaring infection rates across the country. Public health officials said on Dec. 24 that more than 600,000 people had received the first of two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Source: CBC News December 27, 2020 18:31 UTC