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A new study shows that both vaccines are highly resistant to the B1617.2 strain first discovered in India after the second dose.
According to a study by the Public Health Agency of the United Kingdom (PHE), Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines have been found to be very effective against the first coronavirus variants discovered in India.
After the second vaccination, the effective rate of Pfizer vaccine against the B1617.2 strain was 88%, and the effective rate of the AstraZeneca jab was 60%.
Both vaccines are more effective against the so-called “Kent” strain B.1.1.7 (the dominant variant of COVID-19 in the UK), with Pfizer’s effective rate of 93% and AstraZeneca’s jab The efficiency is 66%. period.
However, their effective rate was only 33% after three weeks of the first dose.
Health Minister Matt Hancock described the result as “groundbreaking,” while PHE stated that it is expected to see a higher level of anti-hospital and death effects.
Hancock said: “This new evidence is groundbreaking and demonstrates how important our COVID-19 vaccination program is in protecting the people we love.”
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) Dubbing B1617.2 became a “variable of global concern”.
High protection level
This study was conducted from April 5th to May 16th and found that the two vaccines have an effective rate of 33% for symptomatic diseases of the B1617.2 strain three weeks after the first dose, while the effective rate for B.1.1 is about 50%. . 7 strains.
Approximately 12,675 genome sequencing cases were included in the analysis, but only 1,054 cases were identified in India. The study includes data for all age groups since April 5 to cover the period since the emergence of the strain.
New data from PHE show that from February 1 to May 18 this year, at least 2889 cases of B1617.2 strain were recorded in England.
Among them, 104 cases led to the emergency department of the hospital, 31 cases required overnight hospitalization, and 6 cases resulted in death.
According to data, the most common strain in England is the B.1.1.7 variant, with 132,082 cases recorded during the same period. Since its outbreak last year, the virus has infected 4.46 million people and caused 128,000 deaths in the UK.
Dr. Mary Ramsay, Head of PHE Immunization, added: “This research is reassuring that either vaccine in two doses can provide a high level of protection against symptomatic diseases of the B1617.2 variant.
“We hope that the vaccine will be more effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths, so it is crucial to obtain two doses to get the maximum protection from all existing and emerging variants.”
The fastest vaccination schedule in Europe
Another analysis of PHE shows that as of May 9, the vaccination program has so far prevented 13,000 deaths and 39,100 hospitalizations among the elderly in England.
According to the government’s plan, the remaining coronavirus restrictions will be lifted from June 21.
The latest data show that, in the fastest vaccination program in the UK so far, the UK has received more than 50 million doses of coronavirus vaccine, but it faces new challenges due to the spread of the virus that was first discovered in India.
Data released on Saturday showed that in the seven days to May 22, the number of new COVID cases reported in the UK increased by 10.5%, although it was only a small percentage from the level earlier this year.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered this month to increase the second dose of the vaccine for people over 50 and those who are clinically vulnerable.
Fears about the increase in the number of cases of this variant first discovered in the UK prompted Germany to say on Friday that anyone entering the country from the UK must be isolated for two weeks upon arrival.
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