Vaccines ‘offer high levels of protection against Indian variant’

LONDON: The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is 88 per cent effective against the Indian variant after two doses, a study by Public Health England (PHE) has found.

Both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs were found to be almost as effective against symptomatic disease from the B1617.2 strain as they are against the Kent variant after the second dose. Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the outcome as “groundbreaking”, while PHE said it expects to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospital admission and death.

The study, which took place between April 5 to May 16, found that the Pfizer vaccine was 88 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant two weeks after the second dose, compared to 93 per cent effectiveness against the Kent strain.

Meanwhile, the AstraZeneca jab was 60 per cent effective, compared to 66 per cent against the Kent variant over the same period. Both vaccines were 33 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant three weeks after the first dose, compared to around 50 per cent against the Kent strain.

Some 12,675 genome-sequenced cases were included in the analysis, but only 1,054 were of the Indian variant. The study included data for all age groups from April 5 to cover the period since the strain emerged.

Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant medical epidemiologist at PHE and the study’s lead author, said there was more confidence in the data from the first vaccine dose compared to that from the second.

He told journalists on Saturday: “There are bigger numbers that have been vaccinated with one dose. So I think we classify that as moderate certainty around the first dose, but low levels of confidence around the second dose.” However, Professor Susan Hopkins, PHE’s Covid-19 strategic response director, added the data trend was “quite clear” and was heading in the “right direction”.

PHE said the difference in the effectiveness between the vaccines may be due to the AstraZenca second dose being rolled out later than the Pfizer vaccine.

Data also shows it takes longer for the AstraZeneca jab to reach maximum effectiveness.

There are insufficient cases and follow-up periods to estimate vaccine effectiveness against severe outcomes from the Indian variant but this will be evaluated over the coming weeks, PHE added.

Asked about how the data could impact the easing of restrictions from June 21, Prof Hopkins said it was “too early to say”.

She said: “One week post the last restriction lifting, we will be monitoring it very carefully.” Hancock said: “This new evidence is groundbreaking – and proves just how valuable our Covid-19 vaccination programme is in protecting the people we love.

“We can now be confident that over 20 million people – more than one in three – have significant protection against this new variant, and that number is growing by the hundreds of thousands every single day as more and more people get that vital second dose.”

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, added: “This study provides reassurance that two doses of either vaccine offer high levels of protection against symptomatic disease from the B1617.2 variant.

“We expect the vaccines to be even more effective at preventing hospitalisation and death, so it is vital to get both doses to gain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants.”

Separate analysis by PHE indicates that the vaccination programme has so far prevented 13,000 deaths and around 39,100 hospital admissions in older people in England, up to May 9.