Vox Sentences - A good sign for AstraZeneca's vaccine

The AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine shows increased promise; Turkey takes a step back on women's rights.

 

Tonight's Sentences was written by Benjamin Rosenberg.

TOP NEWS
Despite some concerns, US data shows the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is still effective
Christof Stache/AFP via Getty Images
  • A large US study showed that the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine is 79 percent effective at preventing symptoms. AstraZeneca also said there was no risk of safety concerns surrounding the vaccine, blood clots or otherwise. [AP / Maria Cheng and Lauran Neergaard]
  • The news comes a few days after several European countries halted the vaccine’s distribution following reports of several patients experiencing bleeding and blood clots. Those cases were extremely rare, however — just 37 of more than 17 million AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine recipients. [Vox / Umair Irfan]
  • The United Kingdom, where the vaccine was developed, never stopped using it. Covid-19 case numbers have improved dramatically in the UK compared to the rest of Europe, with many countries seeing rising infection rates, causing them to reintroduce lockdown measures. [AP / Vanessa Gera]
  • The US study showed no serious side effects, AstraZeneca reported, with no patients developing severe disease or requiring hospitalization. More than 32,000 participants were involved in the trial, the largest yet for this vaccine. [NYT / Rebecca Robbins, Benjamin Mueller, and Noah Weiland]
  • Not included in the study was data on how the vaccine performed on different Covid-19 variants. South Africa stopped distributing the vaccine last month after a small study found it to be ineffective against less severe cases caused by a more contagious variant circulating there. [The Verge / Nicole Wetsman]
  • The US Food and Drug Administration has yet to authorize the vaccine for emergency use, but even if it does soon, it might not be necessary. The US will likely have enough vaccines from other suppliers to vaccinate all adults by the time the AstraZeneca/Oxford one becomes available. [Newsweek / Katherine Fung]
  • AstraZeneca reported that the vaccine is particularly effective at preventing severe cases among older adults. Efficacy was at 80 percent for patients 65 years and older. It would be the fourth vaccine to be authorized for emergency use in the US, after Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. [CNN / Niamh Kennedy]
  • AstraZeneca’s vaccine, like those from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, is also a two-dose shot. Trump had his administration prepurchase 300 million doses of it before leaving office, to be saved for its potential authorization. [USA Today / Karen Weintraub]
  • With those doses likely not needed in the US, some are calling for them to be redistributed elsewhere in the world, especially to middle- and low-income countries that have struggled to access vaccines. [Guardian / Fatima Bhutto]
 
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
Turkey withdraws from an international treaty to protect women
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday pulled his country out of an international treaty to protect women, sparking huge protests in a nation already dealing with large numbers of domestic violence cases and femicides. [CNN / Gul Tuysuz and Isil Sariyuce]
  • Turkey was the first country to sign the treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention, in 2011. Women’s rights groups said the treaty has been effective in reducing gender-based violence, but conservative Muslims, a crucial bloc of support for Erdogan, have opposed it from the start. [Washington Post / Kareem Fahim]
  • The conservative Muslims argued the treaty — signed by the Council of Europe with the goal of preventing violence and domestic abuse — was undermining Turkish family structure and other traditional values. [Bloomberg / Kerim Karakaya]
  • 409 women were killed in Turkey in 2020, some under suspicious circumstances, according to the We Will Stop Femicide Platform. So far in 2021, the group reported that 77 women have been killed. Turkey’s interior minister disputes these numbers. [AP / Zeynep Bilginsoy]
  • The decision has sparked huge protests across Turkey, with protesters advocating for the treaty to be implemented strictly. The treaty does not carry the force of law, and several European countries have yet to ratify it. Russia never signed it in the first place. [NYT / Marc Santora]
MISCELLANEOUS
Israel will hold yet another election on Tuesday — the first for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since his US ally, Donald Trump, left the White House. This will be Israel’s fourth election in two years.

[NBC News / Raf Sanchez]

  • The Supreme Court has agreed to reconsider a death sentence for one of the convicted bombers from the 2013 Boston Marathon. A lower court had previously overturned the death penalty for him. [CNN / Ariane de Vogue]
  • Barely a year after Australia dealt with devastating wildfires, it is now facing severe flooding. Some 18,000 residents of New South Wales, home to Australia’s largest city of Sydney, have been forced to evacuate. [Guardian / Michael McGowan and Justine Landis-Hanley]
  • Promising Young Woman and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm won big at the Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday, with Apple TV’s Ted Lasso also winning multiple honors. [CNN / Chloe Melas]
Support our journalism

Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work from as little as $3.

  

VERBATIM
“It is clear this vaccine has very good efficacy and that this efficacy does not show a notable decline at older ages.”

[Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, on AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine]

WATCH THIS
Why you can't compare Covid-19 vaccines


What a vaccine's "efficacy rate" actually means. [YouTube / Madeline Marshall and Kimberly Mas]

Read more from Vox

 

Lawmakers, activists, and protesters are speaking out against anti-Asian hate

 

The partisan divide on vaccination, explained in 3 charts

 

Poll: 31 percent of Republicans think their party backs the American Rescue Plan

 

Migrants are heading north because Central America never recovered from last year’s hurricanes

 

Justice League’s Snyder Cut saga reminds us which fans’ voices get heard

 

 
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
Facebook Twitter YouTube
This email was sent to you. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.
View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.
Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.

Older messages

100 million shots in 58 days

Friday, March 19, 2021

President Biden has met his goal of 100 million shots much earlier than 100 days; tensions are rising between Biden and Vladimir Putin. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. TOP NEWS

The EU’s vaccine passport

Thursday, March 18, 2021

The House prepares to pass immigration bills; the EU is creating a coronavirus passport to encourage tourism this summer. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. TOP NEWS House

Atlanta shooting leaves 8 dead

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Eight people were killed during a mass shooting in Atlanta, including six Asian women; Uber will reclassify 70000 drivers as workers in the UK. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum.

A vaccine setback in Europe

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Congressional Democrats want to tackle infrastructure next; some countries are suspending use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. TOP NEWS Infrastructure

Borderline crisis

Monday, March 15, 2021

President Biden faces increasing pressure regarding the number of migrant children at the border; the murder of a British woman has galvanized a movement against gender violence. Tonight's

You Might Also Like

Squeezed by African Coups, Biden Cozies Up to the World’s Worst Dictator

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Famous for its repression and torture, Teodoro Obiang's Equatorial Guinea got an aid delivery from US Special Operations forces. Most Read Elon Musk Fought Government Surveillance — While Profiting

Practically-A-Book Review: Rootclaim $100,000 Lab Leak Debate

Thursday, March 28, 2024

I watched 15 hours of COVID origins arguments so you don't have to - but you should! ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

SIROTA’S SIGNALS: This Graph Explains The Discontent

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Plus, a nonprofit health care system secretly becomes a debt collector, regulators may help you find cheaper credit cards, and Big Tech's plan to keep preying on kids. SIROTA'S SIGNALS: This

Is Biden on track for defeat? The debate, explained.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Plus: How happy are you? What will SBF's sentence be? And more. March 28, 2024 View in browser Good morning! If you've consumed any kind of news about the 2024 presidential election cycle

Boat Probe, Opening Day, and a Cadbury Raccoon

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Facts, without motives. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

These 50 companies have donated over $23 million to election deniers since January 6, 2021

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Then, according to the report of the bipartisan January 6 Commission, Trump engaged in a "multi-part conspiracy to overturn the lawful results of the 2020

Numlock News: March 28, 2024 • Orcas, Visas, Dragons

Thursday, March 28, 2024

By Walt Hickey Visas As part of the budget signed into law on Saturday, $50 million has been allocated to the State Department to cut down on the passport backlog and reduce the long wait times for

☕️ Not so rational actors

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Robinhood is playing the long game with its new credit card... March 28, 2024 View Online | Sign Up | Shop Morning Brew PRESENTED BY Aura Health Good morning. It's Opening Day for Major League

What A Day: The promised Lands

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Alabama's first election since the state's IVF fiasco yielded a Democratic blowout. Wednesday, March 27, 2024 BY CROOKED MEDIA – Former Neil Gorsuch clerk and current Trumpist Mike Davis,

GeekWire Mid-Week Update

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Read the top tech stories so far this week from GeekWire GeekWire Mid-Week Update Top stories so far this week Love it or hate it, Tesla Cybertruck turns heads in Seattle as GeekWire test drives