The Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency THE Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) following a global trial, in which Welsh participants and healthcare professionals played a key role. A collaboration between Public Health Wales, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Health and Care Research Wales, and the Centre for Trials Research at Cardiff University, took part in phase 2/3 of the vaccine trial sponsored by the University of Oxford and funded by CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) UK Research and Innovation.
The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved A second Covid-19 vaccine has been given the go-ahead and its roll-out across Wales will start next week, the Health Minister has announced today (December 30). The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has now authorised the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine as safe and effective on the basis of detailed independent expert review of evidence from large scale clinical trials. The UK Government has procured vaccines on behalf of the four nations and around 100m of these are of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, with Wales receiving its allocation based on population over the next weeks and months. Two doses will be needed, with an interval of between four and 12 weeks between doses.
The Welsh Government has asked people not to call their GP, pharmacy or hospital asking about the vaccine - those eligible for the jab will be invited to a dedicated clinic. Unlike the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is stored at normal vaccine fridge temperatures. This means it will have few storage and transportation issues, making it much easier to use in community settings such as care homes and primary care settings like GP surgeries. Wales health minister Vaughan Gething said: “We understand there are high expectations and excitement at the arrival of a second vaccine. However it will take time to reach everyone as this is not an instant fix. We won’t receive all the doses at once and we have to be realistic about the scale and pace of delivery when we are vaccinating the entire adult population.
A dummy COVID-19 swab EMERGENCY Departments in North Wales will be assessing the effectiveness of Covid-19 tests. The Facilitating Accelerated Clinical Evaluation of Novel Diagnostic Tests for Covid-19 (FALCON) study aims to find out how accurate new and faster tests are so that patients and staff can be cared for as safely as possible. The current tests rely on a lengthy laboratory process to detect the presence of the virus. There are limited numbers of rapid tests and some test results take up to 48 hours, which makes safe and effective care more difficult to provide. Principal clinical biochemist, Dr Sharman Harris, said: “There are limitations to the current tests available, it can take up to 48 hours for a result and the accuracy is not well understood and tests taken at the bedside may provide additional capacity to support current testing pathways.
A second coronavirus vaccine, developed by Oxford University in association with AstraZeneca, has now been approved for use in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). PICTURE: Sean Elias/PA Wire A SECOND COVID-19 vaccine has been given the go-ahead and its roll-out across Wales will start next week, the Health Minister has announced today (Wednesday, December 30). The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has now authorised the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine as safe and effective on the basis of independent expert review of evidence from large-scale clinical trials. The UK Government has procured vaccines on behalf of the four nations and around 100m of these are of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, with Wales receiving its allocation based on population over the coming weeks and months.