Bill Harvey: Come of age

So far, my optimism about a full vaccination roll out next spring seems to be well placed. The news about the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine this week is excellent. Despite the knee-jerk responses from those profiteering obsessives on the stock market, who interpreted the reported 70% success of the vaccine as some sort of disappointment that resulted in a drop in the share price for the companies involved, the initial trial results are excellent.

Firstly, this is a vaccine that can be distributed and delivered to the public far more easily than those requiring specialist storage and preparation. A vaccine with 90% effectiveness against infection is less attractive if it cannot be delivered to everyone. Secondly, of the 30% who did get a post-vaccine infection, none of these were severe in nature. And finally, the success rate of the new vaccine improves to 90% if the first of the two doses is smaller; for some reason to be established, an initial immune trigger then boosted by a second, full dose seems to improve success.