Two doses of AstraZeneca s coronavirus vaccine are up to 90 per cent effective at stopping symptoms of the disease, according to official estimates.
Public Health England s analysis of real-world data found the British-made jab was just as effective as a double-dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
No10 s vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi hailed the data, saying it highlighted the incredible importance of getting both doses of the jab.
He added: There is no better weapon to send this virus into retreat than our life-saving vaccines. A second dose is vital to ensure you have the strongest possible protection so we can return to normality and get back to the things we love.
Countries tipped to see the next big Covid spike
Worldwide statistics mask huge differences across countries and areas
Daniel Smith
Updated
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Beneath the many complexities of the marathon that is the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a simple hypothesis: if the coronavirus is introduced into a susceptible population, and those people are able to mix, then there will be significant community transmission. Across 2020 and 2021, we have seen this happen around the world, including, recently,in India.
Countries tipped to see the next big Covid spike - Stoke-on-Trent Live stokesentinel.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stokesentinel.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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LONDON (Reuters) -Two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine may be around 85% to 90% effective against symptomatic disease, Public Health England (PHE) said on Thursday, while cautioning that it did not yet have enough data to be conclusive.
FILE PHOTO: A dose of AstraZeneca vaccine is prepared at COVID-19 vaccination centre in the Odeon Luxe Cinema in Maidstone, Britain February 10, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo
Britain has suffered one of the worst death tolls globally from the pandemic, but has also had one of the fastest vaccine rollouts, generating a lot of data about the use of the shots in real-world settings.
Here s the latest from around the world overnight.
Europe
UK
Britain reported its highest daily total of new coronavirus infections in a month while cases of a variant of concern first found in India continue to climb, official statistics showed on Thursday.
Britain reported 2,874 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest daily figure for new cases since April 19. The uptick comes as Boris Johnson eases restrictions in England, and as a quick rollout of vaccines decouples the link between case numbers and hospitalisations and deaths.
Britain recorded another seven deaths.
France
France will make COVID-19 vaccinations available to everyone over 18 from May 31, two weeks earlier than the initially planned date of June 15, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday.