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完整標題：

Covid-19: Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine approved for use in UK
英國核准牛津/阿斯特捷利康COVID-19疫苗

發稿單位：BBC
發稿時間：2020/12/30 1618
撰 稿 者：James Gallagher
原文連結：https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55280671

★整理：
英國政府於今日核准牛津大學與阿斯特捷利康共同研發的新冠肺炎疫苗，並預計於下周一
開始接種。
該疫苗須接種兩劑，第二劑須於接種第一劑後三個月內施打。


新聞原文：

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use in the UK, with the
first doses due to be given on Monday.

The UK has ordered 100 million doses - enough to vaccinate 50 million people.

Along with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, the UK now has enough to cover the entire
population, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

He described the development as a "significant moment" in the fight against
the virus.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said he could "now say with confidence we can
vaccinate everyone".

"We've got enough of this vaccine on order to vaccinate the whole population
- 100 million doses. Add that to the 30 million doses of Pfizer and that's
enough for two doses for the entire population," he added.

It comes as millions more people in England are expected to be placed under
the toughest tier four - "stay at home" - coronavirus restrictions amid
escalating case numbers.

On Tuesday, 53,135 new Covid cases were recorded in the UK - the highest
single day rise since mass testing began - as well as 414 more deaths within
28 days of a positive test.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was designed in the first months of 2020,
tested on the first volunteer in April, and has since been through
large-scale clinical trials involving thousands of people.

It has been developed at a pace that would have been unthinkable before the
pandemic.

It is the second jab to be approved in the UK after the Pfizer-BioNTech
vaccine was given the go-ahead in December.

The approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine marks a major turning point in
the pandemic.

It will lead to a massive expansion in the UK immunisation campaign aimed at
getting life back to normal.

The shift to giving as many people as possible the first doses of either
approved vaccine effectively doubles the number of people given some
protection.

The second dose, which gives maximum protection, will come up to three months
later.

However, the next couple of months still look bleak.

Health officials have spoken of "unprecedented" levels of infection and some
hospitals are struggling with the number of patients.

The restrictions we are all living under are likely to get tougher before
vaccines make a tangible difference and sets us on the path to normality.
2px presentational grey line

More than 600,000 people in the UK have been vaccinated since Margaret Keenan
became the first in the world to get that jab outside of a clinical trial.

But the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will lead to a significant increase in
vaccination as it is cheap and easy to mass produce.

Crucially it can be stored in a standard fridge - unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech
jab which needs ultra cold storage at -70C - so it will be far easier to get
the Oxford vaccine to care homes and GP surgeries.

Priority groups for immunisation - including the elderly, care home residents
and health and care workers - have already been identified.

The new vaccine approval comes after Public Health England said the country
was facing "unprecedented" levels of infections, and health officials in
parts of Wales, Scotland and the south of England voiced concerns about the
increasing pressure on the NHS.

Who will get the vaccine?

The immunisation campaign will now shift to giving as many people as possible
their first dose of vaccine.

The aim will be to give as many vulnerable people some protection from
Covid-19.

The decision is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and
Immunisation.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "The priority
should be to give as many people in at-risk groups their first dose, rather
than providing the required two doses in as short a time as possible.

"Everyone will still receive their second dose and this will be within 12
weeks of their first. The second dose completes the course and is important
for longer term protection."

How effective is the Oxford vaccine?

There are three figures doing the rounds - 62%, 70% and 90%.

The first analysis of the trial data showed 70% of people were protected from
developing Covid-19 and nobody developed severe disease or needed hospital
treatment.

The figure was just 62% when people were given two full doses of the jab and
90% when they were first given a half dose and then a full one.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved
two full doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

However, unpublished data suggests that leaving a longer gap between the
first and second doses increases the overall effectiveness of the jab.

There was not enough clear data to approve the half-dose, full-dose idea.

All the vaccines are expected to be equally effective against the new
variants of the virus that have emerged.

How does it work?

The vaccine is a genetically modified common cold virus that used to infect
chimpanzees.

It has been altered to stop it causing an infection in people and to carry
the blueprints for part of the coronavirus, known as the spike protein.

Once these blueprints are inside the body they start producing the
coronavirus' spike protein, which the immune system recognizes as a threat
and tries to squash it.

Then, when the immune system comes into contact with the virus for real, it
already knows what to do.




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