AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine 76% Effective In Updated US Trial Results

US health officials earlier in the week publicly rebuked the drugmaker for using "outdated information" when calculating that the vaccine was 79% effective.

AstraZeneca said on Thursday its COVID-19 vaccine was 76% effective at preventing symptomatic illness, citing a new analysis of up-to-date results for its major US trial. US health officials earlier in the week publicly rebuked the drugmaker for using "outdated information" when calculating that the vaccine was 79% effective. That marked a new setback for the vaccine that was once hailed as a milestone in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, but has been dogged by questions over its effectiveness and possible side-effects. AstraZeneca reiterated on Thursday that the shot, developed with Oxford University, was 100% effective against severe or critical forms of the disease.