A single dose of either the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine or the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization among older adults by more than 80 percent, Public Health England (PHE) said, citing a prepress study.
The real-world study, which was published Monday and has not yet been evaluated by colleagues, showed that protection against any symptoms of COVID-19 in people over 70 ranged from 57% to 61% for a dose of Pfizer vaccine. -BioNTech and between 60% and 73% for AstraZeneca-Oxford four weeks after the first blow.
PHE said the data suggests the vaccine from the US drug company Pfizer PFE,
caused a 83% reduction in COVID-19 deaths among those over 80 years of age. There were no equivalent data for the vaccine from the Anglo-Swedish drug company AstraZeneca AZN,
which began to be administered at a later date.
Read: The Pfizer vaccine can reduce transmission after a dose, a new study has found
This adds to growing evidence that vaccines work to reduce infections and save lives, said Dr. Mary Ramsay, head of PHE immunization.
“Although much more remains to be done, this is encouraging and we are increasingly confident that vaccines make a real difference,” she added.
Both the German partner Pfizer BioNTech BNTX,
and AstraZeneca AZN,
analyzes the efficacy of vaccines against new coronavirus strains that cause COVID-19, such as those identified in South Africa and Brazil. Last month, AstraZeneca said it could take six to nine months to produce COVID-19 vaccines that are effective against new variants.
Read: Pfizer vaccine – BioNTech COVID-19 likely to protect against South African strain
UK Health Minister Matt Hancock described the results of the study as “very strong” and said they could also help explain why the number of COVID admissions to intensive care units among people over 80 years in the UK has fallen to single figures in the last two weeks. ”
More than 20 million people, or more than 30% of the UK population, have now received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with the elderly and those at highest risk at the top of the list of priorities.
Nearly 816,000 people received the second dose, according to the latest government data.
Read: France will not administer the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to people over 65
The new data should also help allay concerns in some European countries, including France, Germany and Italy, which have recommended that the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca with the University of Oxford not be used for people over the age of 65, citing insufficient data on its effectiveness for the elderly. people.
On Tuesday, the French government revised its position, saying that older people, including those aged 65 to 74 with pre-existing conditions, could receive the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine from primary care clinics, hospitals and “in a few days ”from pharmacies. .
Read: As new infections grow in France, Macron resists blockages
Those over the age of 75 in France will continue to be offered either the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the vaccine developed by the American modern biotechnology MRNA,
In a vaccination center, French Health Minister Olivier Véran said on television.
The German Vaccine Commission is also reviewing its recommendation. On Sunday, Prof. Carsten Watzl, secretary general of the German Society for Immunology, called on the country to start allowing those over 65 to receive the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.
“We know that the vaccine works in this age group. Recent data from Scotland clearly show that it causes an immune response, the elderly are protected from severe disease with this vaccine, “Watzl said in an interview with the BBC.
Preliminary results from a study launched last week by the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde and Public Health Scotland, which covered the entire Scottish population, showed that in the fourth week after the initial dose, Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca- Oxford found that vaccines reduce the risk of hospitalization by up to 85% and 94%, respectively.