(Photo: Reuters)

The vaccine was also about 86% effective in protecting against the more contagious virus variant first discovered and now prevalent in the UK.

It was about 90% effective overall, combining data from people infected with both versions of the coronavirus.

If authorized, it would follow three COVID-19 vaccines previously approved for use in Britain from Pfizer and partner BioNTech, Moderna and the AstraZeneca shot developed with Oxford University.