AstraZeneca says revised data shows COVID-19 vaccine 76 percent effective

The AZ/Oxford vaccine
(Image credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images)

AstraZeneca said in a press release late Wednesday that a new analysis of its large U.S. clinical trial found its beleaguered COVID-19 vaccine to be 76 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100 percent effective at averting severe illness and hospitalization. The new findings, which include 49 more COVID-19 cases from March, lowered the efficacy rate slightly from the 79 percent reported Monday.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, developed by Oxford University researchers, has suffered an unusually rocky rollout. In the most recent drama, the independent monitoring board overusing AstraZeneca's 32,000-volunteer U.S. trial pushed the Anglo-Swedish company to update its analysis based on more recent data, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in its letter. The NIAID then said in a public statement that AstraZeneca's "outdated information" may have given an "incomplete view of the efficacy data."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.