A new Covid vaccine shows 100 percent efficacy against severe disease and hospitalizations
Source: New York Times
Two doses of a new Covid vaccine that is based on a conventional approach achieved 100 percent efficacy against severe disease and hospitalizations, and it could be an effective booster after other Covid shots, the vaccine’s manufacturers announced on Wednesday. The vaccine, made by the Europe-based pharmaceutical companies Sanofi and GSK, is one of four candidates that received billions of dollars for development from Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s program to accelerate vaccines.
The new vaccine had an efficacy of 75 percent against moderate-to-severe disease. It showed 58 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease in its Phase 3 clinical trial. Although that number is lower than was observed for the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in their initial trials, it is “in line with expected vaccine effectiveness in today’s environment dominated by variants of concern,” Sanofi and GSK said in a statement.
Used as a booster dose after one of the other available coronavirus vaccines, the Sanofi-GSK shot increased antibody levels by 18- to 30-fold. The companies intend to submit the vaccine for authorization to regulatory authorities in the United States and Europe, they said on Wednesday. Sanofi and GSK were expected to seek authorization for their vaccine last year, but shelved those plans after clinical trials showed disappointing results in older adults. They then developed a stronger version of the vaccine and tested it in new trials.
In laboratory studies, two doses of the Sanofi-GSK vaccine delivered more neutralizing antibodies than an approved mRNA vaccine, according to the companies. The data have not yet been published. The vaccine was safe and well-tolerated by adults of all ages, the companies said. The best target for Covid vaccines is a protein called spike that covers the surface of the virus like a crown. While the mRNA vaccines contain the genetic instructions for making the protein, the Sanofi-GSK vaccine uses a slightly modified version of the protein itself to stimulate an immune response.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/23/world/covid-19-tests-cases-vaccine/a-new-covid-vaccine-shows-100-percent-efficacy-against-severe-disease-and-hospitalizations-its-makers-say
Full headline: A new Covid vaccine shows 100 percent efficacy against severe disease and hospitalizations, its makers say.
I remember when they got started late and decided to basically start over last year, hoping for something this past fall.
Also note the nomenclature of "severe disease and hospitalizations" vs "moderate to severe" (because of the way they worded this and the efficacy statements, where these are 2 different levels of impact).
= new reply since forum marked as read
“ ... an efficacy of 75 percent against moderate-to-severe disease... 58 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease...”
How does that amount to 100%.
What they are saying is that for the most severe cases/hospitalizations, it was found to be "100% effective" (from dying).
For anyone experiencing a "moderate to severe" case, it is "75% effective" (from getting worse/dying).
And in terms of minor exposure and a "symptomatic" case, they are quantifying the vaccine as being "58% effective" (from getting worse/dying).
So these percentages aren't designed to total to 100%, they are statistical percentages of how effective they are for people experiencing each category of infection.
