Data from two different studies published in the UK, one in England and another in Scotland, have shown that vaccines against COVID-19 are effective in cutting the spread of disease as hospitals start from the first dose.
A study from Public Health England (PHE) published on Monday shows that the vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech reduces the risk of catching an infection by more than 70 per cent after the first dose. That risk is reduced by 85 percent after a second dose.
“Overall, we are seeing a really strong impact on reducing any infections, both asymptomatic and symptomatic,” PHE strategic response director Susan Hopkins told a media release.
In a statement posted on social media, Matt Hancock, secretary of state for health & social care, hailed the development as “excellent news”.
“It shows that the vaccines work and it shows that vaccines save lives.”
The public health agency’s study of real-world data also shows that those vaccinated people who are infected are far more likely to die or go into hospital.
Hospitalization and death from the virus have been reduced by more than 75 percent in those who received a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to the analysis.
The UK is among the hardest hit countries in the world with the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 121,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
It was the first country to start major vaccines in December and more than 17 million people – around a third of the UK adult population – have now received the first dose of the vaccine.
“We will see a lot more data over the coming weeks and months but we should be very encouraged by the first results,” said Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Vaccination at Public Health England.
‘National evidence’
Meanwhile, a study in Scotland has shown that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines have led to a reduction in COVID-19 admissions to hospitals after the first dose.
The study, led by the University of Edinburgh, found that the fourth week after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine reduced hospital risk from COVID-19 by up to 85 percent.
A separate study in Scotland has shown that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization by 94 per cent [File: Luca Zennaro/EPA]
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine reduced the risk by 94 per cent.
“These results are very encouraging and have given us great reasons to be optimistic about the future,” Dr Aziz Sheikh, who led the research, said in a statement.
“We now have national evidence – nationwide – that the vaccine protects against COVID-19 hospitals.
“The first worldwide dose of vaccines needs to be accelerated to help overcome this terrible disease,” he said.
The research compared the results of those who had their first injection with those who did not.
It found that vaccination was associated with an 81 percent reduction in hospital risk in the fourth week among those aged 80 years or older, when the results for the two vaccines were combined.
“This is really good news, it shows that the vaccines work and it shows that vaccines save lives.”@MattHancock Welcome @PHE_uk data showing hospitalization and death from # COVID19 reduced by more than 75% after the first dose of the @Pfizer/@BioNTech_Group vaccine. pic.twitter.com/wcACTEHm1Y
– Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) February 22, 2021
‘Extremely promising’
The project, which used patient data to monitor pandemic and real-time transmission of the vaccine, analyzed a dataset covering Scotland’s total population of 5.4 million between 8 December. and 15 February.
Around 1.14 million vaccines were given to 21 per cent of the Scottish population during that period.
Some 650,000 people received the Pfizer vaccine and 490,000 received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
This is the first study to describe the impact of vaccines on the prevention of serious hospital-acquired illnesses across the country.
Previous results on vaccine efficacy have come from clinical trials.
The study team said the findings were relevant to other countries using the Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.
The data reported are “very promising,” said Arne Akbar, president of the British Society of Immunology.
“While there appears to be some variation in efficacy levels measured across age groups, the decline in hospitals for older age groups is still very high,” he said.