With more than 72 million doses delivered to Vietnam, AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is one of the most used in the country and is estimated to have prevented 232,766 deaths locally, an independent assessment of vaccine effectiveness shows.^1,2

AstraZeneca’s vaccine was the first COVID-19 vaccine approved by the Ministry of Health, and the first to be supplied in large quantities to support Vietnam’s national vaccination campaign and pandemic response effort.

Nitin Kapoor, Chairman and General Director, AstraZeneca Vietnam and Asia Area Frontier Markets, said: “This data reaffirms that vaccination is the fastest way to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, and that our vaccine is highly effective in preventing serious illness and death. AstraZeneca remains committed to collaborating closely with the Vietnamese government, Ministry of Health, and our partners to protect people’s lives, in addition to achieving our mutual long-term goal of strengthening health system sustainability and resilience.”

The analysis conducted by Airfinity, a health data firm, covers the period from 8 December 2020 to 8 December 2021. The data showed that globally, the AstraZeneca vaccine is estimated to have saved more than 6.3 million lives.³

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, AstraZeneca and its global partners have released more than three billion vaccine doses to more than 180 countries, and approximately two-thirds of these doses have been delivered to low- and lower-middle income countries.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is a viral vector vaccine, and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, both provide high protection against hospitalisation (91.3-92.5%) and death (91.4-93.3%) after two doses regardless of age, with no statistical difference between them.⁴

In July 2022, data from a real-world evidence study at Thailand’s Chiang Mai University showed that the AstraZeneca vaccine is 73% effective against the highly transmissible Omicron variant when it is used as a fourth dose booster on top of any previous primary or booster vaccine.⁵

To provide additional protection for immunocompromised and high-risk populations against COVID-19, AstraZeneca has also developed a long-acting antibody combination that has been available in Vietnam since March 2022, following a special import approval by the Ministry of Health. According to various studies, the antibody duo retains its neutralising activity against Omicron SARS-CoV-2 subvariants and all tested variants of concern to date.

 

COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1-S [Recombinant], formerly AZD1222)

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine was invented by the University of Oxford. It uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened version of a common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees and contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein. After vaccination, the surface spike protein is produced, priming the immune system to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus if it later infects the body.

The vaccine has been granted a conditional marketing authorisation or emergency use in more than 125 countries. It also has Emergency Use Listing from the World Health Organization, which accelerates the pathway to access in up to 144 countries through the COVAX Facility.

Under a sub-license agreement with AstraZeneca, the vaccine is manufactured and supplied by the Serum Institute of India under the name COVISHIELD.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.

References

1. Vietnam Ministry of Health. [Online] Available at: https://luatvietnam.vn/y-te/bao-cao-477-bc-byt-bo-y-te-219290-d6.html [Last accessed: June 2022]
2. AstraZeneca data on file 156985. Airfinity estimated global deaths prevented by AZ vaccinations
3. AstraZeneca data on file 156573. Data estimates based on model outcomes from separate analyses conducted by Airfinity and Imperial College, United Kingdom
4. Chuenkitmongkol S, Solante R, Burhan E, et al. Expert Review of Global Real-World Vaccine Effectiveness Against SARS-CoV-2, 20 June 2022, [Preprint version 3] Available at Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1575499/v3 [Last accessed: June 2022]
5. Chariyalertsak S, et al. Effectiveness of heterologous 3rd and 4th dose COVID-19 vaccine schedules for SARS-CoV-2 infection during delta and omicron predominance in Thailand. Available at: Effectiveness of heterologous 3rd and 4th dose COVID-19 vaccine schedules for SARS-CoV-2 infection during delta and omicron predominance in Thailand. | Research Square. Accessed June 2022