AstraZeneca showing strong COVID-19 protection

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The AstraZenica COVID-19 vaccine is getting closer to receiving emergency use authorization and they now new data on how well it works.

The company now says the vaccine is 76 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 cases.

It’s also 100 percent effective against severe or critical cases or the need for hospitalizations.

Health officials say that is the ultimate goal in any vaccine.

While the vaccine is 76 percent effective against symptomatic cases after both doses it is around 60 percent effective after the first dose.

The time between doses is significantly longer than the Pfizer and Moderna at 12 weeks rather than the three or four with the other two-dose vaccines.

The technology with this vaccine is also different than the other currently available.

“This is a slightly different technology and a technology that’s used in other vaccines, too,” said Dr. Julie Lyons with SLWR Family Medicine. “This is where they attach the COVID to a piece of a virus, called adenovirus, and inject it into our muscle cells that way. And, that’s what stimulates the immune response.”

She added to end this pandemic everyone should schedule a vaccine appointment, for any of the vaccines, as soon as their group is eligible.

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