a vaccine developed by scientists at
oxford is set to transform the battle
against coronavirus
across the globe in trials the vaccine
proved highly efficient at stopping
people developing symptoms
of covid19 the results suggest 70
protection but by adjusting the dose the
protection
could rise to as high as 90 and while
other vaccines have reported
higher protection the great advantage of
the oxford one is that it's cheaper
it's far easier to store and thus easier
to deliver around the world
now during the day the prime minister
described the results as incredibly
exciting
but urged caution in the meantime as he
outlined the restrictions for england
after the current lockdown ends on the
2nd of december we'll have more on that
in just a moment first our medical
editor fergus walsh reports
on the oxford vaccine for the first time
since this wretched virus took hold
we can see a route out of the pandemic
we are
just delighted um here in oxford it's a
huge huge congratulations to you all and
your teams
it's the third goal in the back of the
net now
oxford has created a vaccine not just
for britain
but for the world the scientists
involved say it brings us closer
to a return to normal life
i can definitely see a future beyond the
pandemic i think
that we will be able to roll out
vaccines in the first half of next year
and have a big impact here in the uk
but for humanity we have to be able to
distribute all around the world and
that's going to take a bit longer
in less than a year scientists here have
created a brand new vaccine
and run large-scale trials now at last
they know it works there were more than
20
000 volunteers on the trial in the uk
and brazil
overall two doses of the vaccine were
around 70 percent effective
in preventing covid19 but among
volunteers
who got a half dose followed by a full
one
effectiveness rose to 90 percent
importantly
there were no cases of serious coveted
disease
among those who got the vaccine all
right then so i've got over here called
oto 5 the uk has pre-ordered enough
doses to immunise
50 million people in the uk the elderly
in care homes would be first in line
then the over 80s and front line health
workers
along with pfizer and moderna it means
there are now
three coveted vaccines which could be
approved next month
like the pfizer and moderna vaccines the
key to the oxford jab
is the spike protein which sits on the
surface of coronavirus
scientists have taken the gene for this
protein and put it into a virus that
causes the common cold in chimpanzees
the virus has been modified and disabled
so it can't cause disease in humans
once in the body the vaccine instructs
cells
to make the coronavirus spike protein
this prompts the immune system
to create y-shaped antibodies in the
event
of future exposure these should latch on
to coronavirus
and prevent infection and it stimulates
t-cells
another part of the immune system these
should destroy
cells that have become infected this is
a really important day for scientists
here in oxford and for the fight against
coronavirus
the data is still being analyzed but
their vaccine
appears to prevent serious illness with
covid
and most infections now that
could have a major impact on the
pandemic here in the uk
and worldwide
although the vaccine was created in
record time
oxford says no shortcuts have been taken
with safety
and side effects have been mostly mild
edward
was one of the very first volunteers
it's pretty amazing how fast
everything's but really how careful and
considered everything has been done
everything is there we can trust it
and so it's really exciting to see the
results
astrazeneca oxford's commercial partner
has pledged never to make a profit from
the vaccine
in poorer countries and their job is far
cheaper
easier to store and transport around the
world than others
the supply chain we put in place for
next year will give us a capacity of up
to three
billion doses which will include not
just the developed world but
for many regions of the developing world
as well and because this vaccine is just
refrigerated it makes it much easier to
distribute and administer
but don't underestimate the hurdles
ahead immunizing the uk
let alone the world will be a huge
undertaking
drive-through centers like this one in
greater manchester currently providing
flu jabs
are likely to be used for covet vaccines
and even if a million adults a week are
immunized
it'll be months before these vials help
clear a path
through the pandemic and
fergus is back from oxford and with me
down the studio this is the third
vaccine we've been discussing
lots of excitement understanding about
this one fergus
question for lots of people at home is
when you know when will we see the
vaccine
when will people actually be treated
with it it is astonishing here that we
now have
three vaccines that can prevent serious
covet infection it's going to take a
week or two for astrazeneca
to get their paperwork together and
submit it to regulators
pfizer's already done that we might see
the first vaccines being approved early
in december we might see some
immunization
before the end of the year but the vast
majority is going to be done in 2021 the
prime minister says
he'd like the vast majority of
vulnerable people to have been immunized
by
easter in early april well
there are 12 million over 65s to add to
that
all the front-line healthcare workers so
the younger you are the longer you're
going to have to wait
if you're under 50 you might have to
wait till the summer
but we do need people we do need adults
to take up
the offer of vaccination it's not going
to be compulsory we need maybe
60 or 70 percent of adults to be
immunized to curb the spread of the
virus
now we don't know how long protection
will last at some point
we may need booster doses so we
shouldn't expect
the vaccine to change our lives this
winter but thanks to science
the path out of this pandemic is looking
ever clearer fergus good to talk to you
again thank you very much fergus walsh
there our medical editor