In a new study from the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde, researchers found vaccination is over 90% effective at preventing deaths from the Delta variant of COVID-19.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 90% effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine 91% effective in preventing deaths in people who have been double vaccinated, but who have tested positive for coronavirus in the community.
In the study, the team analyzed data from 5.4 million people in Scotland between 1 April and 27 September 2021.
During this period, 115,000 people tested positive for COVID-19 through a PCR test conducted in the community, rather than in the hospital, and there were 201 deaths recorded due to the virus.
The Moderna vaccine is also available in Scotland and no deaths have been recorded in those who have been double vaccinated with it. Consequently, it has not been possible to estimate its effectiveness in preventing death.
Researchers defined death from COVID-19 as anyone who died within 28 days of a positive PCR test, or with COVID-19 recorded as a cause of death on their death certificate.
They say to increase confidence in these early findings, the research needs to be repeated in other countries and settings, and with longer follow-up time after full vaccination.
Because of the observational nature of the study, data about vaccine effectiveness should be interpreted with caution and it is not possible to make a direct comparison between both vaccines.
With the Delta variant now the dominant strain in many places worldwide and pose a higher risk of hospitalization than previous variants seen in the UK, it is reassuring to see that vaccination offers such high protection from death very shortly after the second dose.
If you care about COVID vaccines, please read studies about this new COVID-19 vaccine can give the body ‘border protection’ and findings of Pfizer vaccine may protect against COVID variants in these people.
For more information about COVID vaccines and your health, please see recent studies about these old vaccines can fight COVID-19 pandemic and results showing that one dose of Pfizer vaccine may effectively protect people who’ve had COVID.
The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. One author of the study is Professor Aziz Sheikh.
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