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London: Two doses of the Covishield and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines may be 90 percent effective in preventing deaths from the delta version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study, using data from the Scotland-wide EAVE II COVID-19 surveillance platform, is the first to show how effective vaccines are in preventing death from the delta variant, the dominant form of the virus, in many other countries.
The research team, from the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde and Public Health Scotland, 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 PCR testing done in the community rather than in the hospital, and 201 deaths were recorded due to the virus.
The study found that the Pfizer-BioEntech vaccine is 90 percent effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, known in India as Covishield, is 91 percent effective in preventing deaths in people who have been double vaccinated, but who have tested positive for coronavirus. in the community.
“With the delta variant now the dominant strain in many places around the world and a higher risk of hospitalization than previous variants seen in the UK, it is reassuring to see that vaccination is such a high risk of death immediately after the second dose. Provides protection,” he said. Professor Aziz Shaikh, director of the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute and EAVE II led the study.
“If you still haven’t taken your offer for vaccination, I would encourage you to do so based on the clear benefits it offers,” Sheikh said.
Researchers defined death from COVID-19 as death within 28 days of a positive PCR test or with COVID-19 recorded as the cause of death on their death certificate.
The study analyzed a dataset as part of the EAVE II project, which uses anonymized linked patient data to track pandemics and vaccine rollouts in real time.
To increase confidence in these initial findings, the study needs to be replicated in other countries and settings, and with longer follow-up times after full vaccination, the researchers said.
They noted that due to the observational nature of the study, data regarding vaccine effectiveness must be interpreted with caution and that it is not possible to make a direct comparison between the two vaccines.
“Our findings are encouraging to show that the vaccine is an effective way to protect ourselves and others from death from the most prominent version of COVID-19,” said Professor Chris Robertson from the University of Strathclyde and Public Health Scotland.
“It is very important to validate these early results in other settings and with longer follow-up studies,” Robertson said.
read also: UK to lift quarantine rules for fully vaccinated Indians with Covidshield from 11 October
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