In interim late-stage study findings, Oxford University today announced that the COVID-19 vaccine it is developing with AstraZeneca is highly effective, bringing the world promising news for the third time this month about a pandemic vaccine candidate.The latest vaccine news comes as COVID-19 levels surge in the United States and Europe, with fears that illness levels could jump again after Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday gatherings.Smaller first dose showed highest efficacyResearchers looked at two different dosing regimens for the chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine, one that involved two standard doses and one consisting of a halved first dose followed by a standard second dose.