AstraZeneca has reported that its Covid-19 vaccine provided strong protection among all adults in a long-anticipated United States study, raising hopes that the findings could help rebuild public confidence in the beleaguered shot in other countries and moving a step closer to clearance for American use.

AstraZeneca said the vaccine was 79 per cent effective overall at preventing symptomatic cases of Covid-19 — including in older people — and that none of the study volunteers who were vaccinated were hospitalised or developed severe disease. The company also said its experts did not identify any safety concerns related to the vaccine, including finding no increased risk of rare blood clots identified in Europe, according to an AP report.

The findings bolster AstraZeneca’s prior research in Britain and other countries, and add to real-world evidence that the shots are offering good protection as they’re used more widely.