AstraZeneca: US data shows vaccine effective for all ages

LONDON (AP) — AstraZeneca says its COVID-19 vaccine provided strong protection against sickness and eliminated hospitalizations and deaths from the disease across all age groups in a late-stage study in the United States.

AstraZeneca said Monday that its experts did not identify any safety concerns related to the vaccine, including finding no increased risk of rare blood clots identified in Europe.

Although AstraZeneca’s vaccine has been authorized in more than 50 countries, it has not yet been given the green light in the U.S. It has struggled to gain public trust amid a troubled rollout.

The study comprised more than 30,000 volunteers, of whom two-thirds were given the vaccine while the rest got dummy shots.