While in the U.S. vaccination has slowed significantly with vaccine hesitancy, Latin America‘s countries are eager to vaccinate, and now they’re inoculating at a higher pace than the U.S., reported The Wall Street Journal.

Latin Americans usually trust vaccines, despite of their wealthiest counterparts. In Chile, for instance, roughly two thirds of population are fully vaccinated.

AstraZeneca antibody cocktail avoids COVID-19: trial met primary endpoint

AstraZeneca announced on Friday that its antibody therapy has achieved the primary goal of preventing COVID-19 in a late-stage study, putting the British drugmaker on track to be able to offer an alternative to vaccines for people with weakened immune systems.

After the first monoclonal treatment reached good results with phase 3, the company intends to make it available to vulnerable populations worldwide

The company said the cocktail has two types of antibodies, first discovered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, decreased the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 by 77%.

More than 75% of participants had chronic problems, including some linked to a reduced immune reaction to the vaccination, AstraZeneca said.

The results bring relief to the drugmaker, which in June reported that a smaller late-stage trial provided no evidence that the antibody cocktail, known for now as AZD7442, protected people who had contact with a person infected with the disease.

The UK-Swedish company, which faces challenges distributing its Covid-19 vaccine, is also working to adapt existing drugs to fight the virus.

(Co-written with LABS)