The UK will launch the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford starting from January 4th, according to the plans drawn up by the ministers. This was announced by the Sunday Telegraph, noting that the British government plans to administer the first doses of the Oxford vaccine, which has been licensed to the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, in the next two weeks. Such a vaccine it should receive approval from the relevant bodies within a few days and the expectation is great from the British government since its cheapness and ease of storage will allow for faster vaccination compared to the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine, which was approved in the UK earlier this month but must be kept at minus 70 ° C and can only be moved four times within a cold chain before being used.
The green light from the Regulatory Agency for Medicines and Health Products on the Oxford vaccine could arrive as early as next Tuesday. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca has not commented, but sources from the Ministry of Health have indicated that the UK medicines control agency is reviewing the final data from the Oxford University / AstraZeneca phase 3 clinical trials to determine whether the vaccine meets rigorous standards of quality, safety and efficacy.
If this were the case, the prospect of a further increase in anti-Covid vaccination would also open in Italy, considering that in August the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, has signed a European agreement with AstraZeneca, for the total supply to more countries of 400 million doses of the vaccine.
THE MECHANISM OF ACTION BEHIND THE VACCINE
The type of vaccine developed in Oxford in collaboration with the Jenner Institute is different from that based on Moderna and Pfizer mRNA. It starts from the chimpanzee cold virus (adenovirus). The Spike protein – the one used by the Sars-CoV-2 virus to enter the human cell – is chemically produced in the laboratory and then inserted inside the adenovirus, deprived of its genetic heritage, that is, the ability to infect.
Objective of the vaccine under study: to stimulate the production of antibodies against the Spike protein in the organism attacked by Sars-CoV-2, thus preventing the disease.
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