Britain and other nations press on with AstraZeneca vaccine amid trial questions Britain asked its regulator on Friday to assess AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for a possible rollout, while the Philippines and Thailand secured millions of doses, giving the shot a vote of confidence after experts raised questions about trial data. Alistair Smout, Karen Lema U.S.

The UK government, which has secured 100 million doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, has targeted a rollout to begin before Christmas.

“We have formally asked the regulator to assess the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, to understand the data and determine whether it meets rigorous safety standards,” British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said. ...

In the global race to develop vaccines against COVID-19, AstraZeneca’s candidate is viewed as offering one of the best hopes for many developing countries because of its cheaper price and ability to be transported at normal fridge temperatures.

The Thai government signed a deal on Friday to procure 26 million doses of the vaccine to fight the pandemic, which has killed more than 1.4 million people globally. Officials in the Philippines said they would secure 2.6 million shots and were negotiating a possible purchase of a further 1 million doses.

The announcements came after some scientists raised doubts about the robustness of results showing the shot was 90% effective in a sub-group of trial participants who, by error initially, received a half dose followed by a full dose.

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