Director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme Dr Nikkiah Forbes suggested yesterday that the public ought to be guided by the available data on Oxford AstraZeneca notwithstanding a revision of its effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 from 79 percent to 76 percent.
In its Phase III trials in the US, AstraZeneca said its vaccine was 79 percent effective against preventing symptomatic COVID-19, and 100 percent effective against severe or critical disease and hospitalization.
It said the analysis was based on more than 32,000 participants accruing 141 symptomatic cases of COVID-19 with a 2:1 randomization of vaccine to placebo.
But the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease said it had been informed data and safety officials monitoring the trial that “outdated information” may have been used that provided an “incomplete view of the efficacy data”.
The company revised its data in a statement last Monday, noting its vaccine has a 76 percent efficacy against symptomatic COVID.
It maintains AstraZeneca has a 100 percent efficacy against severe or critical disease; and 85 percent efficacy against symptomatic COVID in those aged 65 and older.
In an interview with Eyewitness News, Forbes said: “There is a lot of noise in the market.
“So, let’s talk about the science first of all.
“These vaccines did go through a clinical trials process and the fact of the matter is you have to look at the data that was generated from clinical trials.
“In these particular trials and there were several arms, including several Phase III studies that were rolled out in various places, the latest information that was shared was the completion of the US arm of the Phase III trial for this vaccine.
“This has shown that the vaccine has an overall effectiveness of about 76 percent to prevent getting symptomatic COVID — any symptoms at all; stuffy nose, sore throat, headache, fever. That is how effective this vaccine is. That’s not too bad.
“Now, it has a 100 percent effectiveness to prevent getting severe COVID and dying from COVID. Severe COVID is you have to go to hospital, you need oxygen; you may need ventilatory support for breathing; go on a ventilator or dying — it is 100 percent effective and that has been demonstrated and proven throughout all arms of these clinical trials.
“And pretty much all fo these COVID vaccines that have emergency use authorization have done that. This vaccine, AstraZeneca, Serum Institute of India vaccine, is proven effective based upon the available data. It is also safe with mild to moderate side effects.
“And so, it is a good vaccine for protecting people from COVID-19.”
Forbes acknowledged that there are protocols in clinical trials and sometimes errors can occur, but these do not invalidate the entire trial process.
“When they looked at these errors and the time errors, more information was gathered and you have to look at what is the data after such a thing,” she said.
“Does it make it ineffectiveness? In the case of the delayed dose, it made it more effective and there could be a scientific reason for that. And like I said, the vaccine has been proven safe and effective.”
She encouraged Bahamians to take the vaccine when it becomes available to them, noting that waiting for another brand of COVID-19 vaccine to arrive may not happen anytime soon.
Forbes said: “Persons should get to know the facts for themselves and take the opportunity to get the vaccine that’s available to you.”
Of the participants in AstraZeneca’s Phase III trials in the US, 79 percent were Caucasian, 22 percent were Hispanic, eight percent were African American, and four percent were Asian.
The Bahamas has exclusively used AstraZeneca for its vaccine program to date and has more than 53,000 doses in-country and 7,000 immunized against COVID-19.
Unlike Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines, the AstraZeneca vaccine can be stored at fridge temperatures.
The US has ordered 300 million doses of AstraZeneca when it emerged as a frontrunner in the global race to inoculate citizens from COVID-19, but since then three other vaccines have been used in the US’ rollout.
