A single dose of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine or the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shot reduces the risk of hospitalization in 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The real-world study, which was published Monday and has not yet been peer-reviewed, showed that protection against any COVID-19 symptoms in people over 70 ranged from 57% to 61% for at a dose of the Pfizer – BioNTech dam, and between 60% and 73% for AstraZeneca – Oxford four weeks after the first shot.
PHE said the data suggested the vaccine of the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer PFE,
caused an 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 pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca AZN,
which began to be administered later.
Read: According to a new study, the Pfizer vaccine can reduce transmission after a dose
“This adds to the growing evidence that vaccines are working to reduce infections and save lives,” said Dr. Mary Ramsay, head of PHE immunization.
“While there is a lot more data left to follow, this is encouraging and we are increasingly confident that vaccines will make a difference,” he added.
Pfizer’s German partner, BioNTech BNTX,
and AstraZeneca AZN,
are studying the effectiveness of vaccines against new strains of the coronavirus that COVID-19 causes, 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: The Pfizer vaccine – BioNTech COVID-19 is likely to protect from the 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 of people over the age of 80 in the UK has dropped to single figures in the last two weeks “.
More than 20 million people, or more than 30% of the UK population, have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, with the elderly and people most at risk at the top of the priority list.
According to the latest government data, nearly 816,000 people have had their second dose.
Read: France will not give 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 recommended that the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University not be used for people over 65 , citing insufficient data on its effectiveness for the elderly. people.
On Tuesday, the French government revised its stance and said older people, including people aged 65 to 74, with pre-existing conditions, could receive the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine from primary care surgeries, hospitals and “In a few days” of pharmacies.
Read: As new infections increase in France, Macron resists blockades
People over the age of 75 in France will be offered the Pfizer – BioNTech vaccine or the shot made by the American biotechnology Modern MRNA,
at a vaccination center, French Health Minister Olivier Véran said on television.
The German vaccine commission is also reviewing its recommendation. On Sunday, Professor Carsten Watzl, secretary general of the German Society of Immunology, urged the country to start allowing those over 65 to receive the AstraZeneca – Oxford vaccine.
“We know the vaccine works in this age group. Recent data from Scotland clearly show that it causes an immune response, the vaccine protects the elderly from serious illness,” Watzl said in an interview with the BBC.
Preliminary findings from a study published 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 reduced the risk of hospitalization by up to 85% and 94% respectively.