The ongoing battle against COVID-19 has been ceaseless, with various vaccines being produced across the globe to put an end to the pandemic. However, the virus has mutated into more transmissible and dangerous variants, leading to soaring numbers of cases and fatalities.
The following video clarifies the types of vaccines currently used in Malaysia:
The use of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been paused in several countries after it was reported that some had blood clots after being injected, making it to be the least favoured vaccine thus far. Nevertheless, it’s still being administered in Malaysia as part of the national vaccination rollout program.
If you’ve opted to take the AstraZeneca vaccine, the torture of having to secure an appointment must still be fresh in your mind, as shown in this post:
AstraZeneca recently released a report on Tuesday (June 22) stating that the vaccine is effective against the Delta “B.1.617.2” and Kappa “B1.617.1” variants – both of which originated from India.
Quoting a study conducted by the University of Oxford which was published in the world’s top medical journal Cell on June 17, it revealed that the vaccine “provides considerable protection and showed no evidence of antibodies escaping on a large scale, as seen with the South African variant”.
Its Executive Vice President, Mene Pangalos, said the study is a ray of hope in the fight against dangerous variants of COVID-19.
“Even as these new variants continue to spread, our vaccine would continue to provide protection for people across the world and help turn the tide of the pandemic for the people of India.”
AstraZeneca also pointed out that Phase 3 of clinical trials on the vaccine in the United Kingdom showed that it was capable of preventing symptomatic infections of the Alpha variant at a 70.4% efficiency rate when measured more than two weeks after a second dose.
Sources: Oriental Daily, Cover image via Reuters
Editor: Raymond Chen
Proofreader: Grace Choong
