While the AstraZeneca vaccine still suffers from an image deficit, a Scottish study establishes that, in the country, severe forms have decreased by 94% in people who have benefited.

And this vaccine would also be effective in the elderly.

The news is reassuring, as the French vaccine campaign entered a new stage on Thursday with the possibility for city doctors to inject the AstraZeneca vaccine for 50-64 year olds with comorbidities.

Because if the vaccine has so far suffered from an image deficit, a Scottish study ensures that it is very effective against severe forms of the coronavirus. 

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Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Friday February 26

20% of the Scottish population has already been vaccinated with sera from Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

However, according to this preliminary study conducted by the University of Edinburgh on the basis of social security data in the country, the two vaccines have a very good effectiveness on hospitalizations.

Scientists have thus established that the severe forms have decreased by 85% for people vaccinated with the Pfizer product and by 94% in recipients of AstraZeneca treatment.

So it's even better than what the Phase 3 trials suggested. 

The risk of hospitalization drops among older people

Another good news: this AstraZeneca vaccine, reserved in France for under 65s, has also proven its effectiveness in older people across the Channel.

All vaccines combined, people over 80 saw their risk of hospitalization drop by 81% on average.

These data are all the more reassuring as they take into account the British variant. 

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The AstraZeneca vaccine "is not a second-class vaccine", answers Alain Fischer

Finally, the safety data for this AstraZeneca vaccine are also reassuring, said Professor Alain Fischer, coordinator of the vaccination campaign in France, on Thursday.

Post-vaccination reactions are mild, temporary, mainly affect young people and can be prevented with paracetamol 

What about the delivery timing?

Guest on Friday from Europe 1, Pascal Canfin, French president of the European Parliament's health and environment committee, returned to the hearing of representatives of the pharmaceutical industry which took place Thursday evening in Parliament.

"All the laboratories are organizing themselves to meet the tipping point of May, where we will be able to have vaccinated all vulnerable people," he says.

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The only downside, he adds, comes from the AstraZeneca laboratory, whose boss Pascal Soriot "has still been unable to formally commit to the fact that his laboratory will respect the commitments made for the second quarter, namely to deliver 180 million doses in March-April-May, and therefore enough to vaccinate at least 90 million Europeans ".

The laboratory, he insisted, "must keep its commitments".

At the end of January, AstraZeneca announced that it could only deliver 40 million doses to the countries of the European Union in the first quarter, out of the 120 million promised.