Add documents about AstraZeneca/Oxford approval in the UK

(courtesy de-facto and penguin42) also adding a note that news about vaccines may be in Vaccines and not in News
ljl-covid · Dec 30, 2020 · a1fafb5 · a1fafb5
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@@ -305,6 +305,8 @@ Note that the WHO will generally be unable to make statements that their more pr
 
 * [Safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary report of a phase 1/2, single-blind, randomised controlled trial](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31604-4/fulltext), encouraging preliminary results from the Oxford/AstraZeneca adenovirus-vectored vaccine, showing an acceptable safety profile and strong immune response after a booster, while [Derek Lowe's "In The Pipeline" blog provides a critical commentary](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/07/20/new-data-on-the-oxford-az-vaccine) on it; in November 2020 [Safety and immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine administered in a prime-boost regimen in young and old adults (COV002): a single-blind, randomised, controlled, phase 2/3 trial](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32466-1/fulltext) was published showing that older adults develop similar levels of immune response as younger adults, and with fewer side effects, and [interim results showed an overall efficacy of 70%](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/11/23/oxford-az-vaccine-efficacy-data), importantly divided into 62% for a group that received two full doses, and 90% for a group receiving a half dose followed by a full-dose booster, a division in two trial arms that [appears to have arisen accidentally](https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/11/astrazenecas-best-covid-vaccine-result-was-a-fluke-experts-have-questions/); later in December 2020, a study partly funded by AstraZeneca looks at [Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK](https://www.thelancet.com/lancet/article/s0140-6736(20)32661-1) and finds that the vaccine had an "acceptable" profile, although the lower-end confidence interval values for efficacy are revealed as 54.8% overall, of which 67.4% in the half-dose group and 41.0% in the full-dose group
 * [Oxford University](https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-11-23-oxford-university-breakthrough-global-covid-19-vaccine) and [AstraZeneca](https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/astraz/media-centre/press-releases/2020/azd1222hlr.html) both issue press releases on interim efficacy assessment of their ChAdOx1 nCoV-2019 vaccine, showing overall 70% efficacy but divided into 62% for a group that received two full doses, and 90% for a group receiving a half dose followed by a full-dose booster, and Derek Lowe discusses these results and the methodological differences compared to Pfizer and Moderna in [Oxford/AZ Vaccine Efficacy Data](https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/11/23/oxford-az-vaccine-efficacy-data)
+* [AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine authorised for emergency supply in the UK](https://www.astrazeneca.com/content/astraz/media-centre/press-releases/2020/astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccine-authorised-in-uk.html) announces an AstraZeneca press conference, claiming effectiveness based on the lack of hospitalizations and severe cases more than 14 days after the second dose, and saying the decision is based on data including the Lancet interim analysis above; [Regulation 174 Information for UK healthcare professionals](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca/information-for-healthcare-professionals-on-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca) reports data about this vaccine and administration information, saying that two 0.5ml doses will be used ,seemingly ignoring the presumed 90% efficacy in the "half-dose" group, at a distance of 4 to 12 weeks (in the trials, "because of logistical constraints, the interval between dose 1 and dose 2 ranged from 4 to 26 weeks"), and for an overall efficacy of around 70%
+
 
 #### Others
 
@@ -416,6 +418,8 @@ There is mixed advice on the use of masks by the general public, and the advice
 
 # News
 
+**Note:** news and press releases about vaccines may be in their respective [Vaccines](#vaccines) sections rather than here.
+
 * [Info and live news updates from The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/coronavirus-outbreak)
 * [Our transcription of speeches and press conferences](https://github.com/ljl-covid/links/tree/master/speeches) related to COVID-19
 * https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3049623/coronavirus-hubei-province-reports-81-new-deaths-and-2841   aerosol transmission, "viral pneumonia"