Asia accelerates roll-out of AstraZeneca vaccine

FRANKFURT/TAIPEI • The Astra-Zeneca coronavirus vaccine received a major boost yesterday after data from a large trial showed that it was safe and effective, potentially paving the way for its emergency authorisation in the United States as countries in Asia accelerated its roll-out.

Trials in the US, Chile and Peru showed that the vaccine was 79 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 and could bolster confidence in the product after confusion over its efficacy data, dosing regimen and possible side effects.

Many European countries halted use of the AstraZeneca shot earlier this month after some reports that it was linked to blood clots, but have since resumed inoculation after a regional regulator said it was safe, even though a survey has shown that Europeans remained sceptical over its safety.

Leaders in Asia have sought to boost public confidence by taking the AstraZeneca shot themselves amid concerns that a slowdown in the global vaccination roll-out could hurt the fight against Covid-19, which has killed more than 2.8 million people worldwide.

The AstraZeneca jab was among the first and cheapest of the Covid-19 vaccines to be developed, and launched at volume. It is set to be the mainstay of vaccinations in much of the developing world.

"I have just finished getting the (AstraZeneca) injection, there is no pain at the injection site, and there is no soreness of the body," Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters as the island launched its inoculation campaign yesterday.

Indonesia began using it yesterday after suspending it last week, but the Food and Drug Agency has warned against its use on people with blood clotting disorders.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, 68, plans to get the shot today after the government said it could be used on older people. Mr Moon sought to reassure the public yesterday that the AstraZeneca shot is safe, and encouraged people to take it. "Vaccination is to protect not just yourself but also our society as a whole by creating herd immunity," he said.

Last Tuesday, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was the first person in Thailand to be inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine after its roll-out was temporarily stopped over safety concerns.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine last Friday, saying that he "did not feel a thing".

A day earlier, the European Medicines Agency regulator had said the vaccine was effective and not linked with a rise in the overall risk of blood clots.

Many Asian nations rely heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine to end the pandemic, as the shot is being used in vaccination drives in Australia, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and India.

Some states in India are seeking to accelerate the vaccination drive as the country yesterday reported its most Covid-19 cases and deaths in months.

Australia, which has inoculated just 1 per cent of its population so far, is also accelerating vaccination after the country's pharmaceutical regulator on Sunday approved the local manufacturing of the AstraZeneca vaccine by pharmaceutical firm CSL.

REUTERS