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COVID-19 vaccine efficacy (VE) has been observed to vary against antigenically distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoC). Here we report the final analysis of VE and safety from COV005: a phase 1b/2, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of primary series AZD1222 (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccination in South African adults aged 18-65 years. South Africa's first, second, and third waves of SARS-CoV-2 infections were respectively driven by the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus (wild type, WT), and SARS-CoV-2 Beta and Delta VoCs. VE against asymptomatic and symptomatic infection was 90.6% for WT, 6.7% for Beta and 77.1% for Delta. No cases of severe COVID-19 were documented ahead of unblinding. Safety was consistent with the interim analysis, with no new safety concerns identified. Notably, South Africa's Delta wave occurred ≥ 9 months after primary series vaccination, suggesting that primary series AZD1222 vaccination offers a good durability of protection, potentially due to an anamnestic response. Clinical trial identifier: CT.gov NCT04444674.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.04.058

Type

Journal article

Journal

Vaccine

Publication Date

05/2023

Volume

41

Pages

3486 - 3492

Addresses

South African Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (Wits-VIDA), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Keywords

Humans, Vaccination, Adult, South Africa, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 Vaccines, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19