[ad_1]
Preliminary research published recently in the UK reported the first positive vaccination results in Scotland, noting that administering a single dose of the coronavirus vaccines reduced hospital admissions for COVID-19 by more than 80 percent in the last weeks. The data is now under review and should be taken with some caution, but according to several experts, along with other research, they confirm the effectiveness of the vaccines detected in clinical trials conducted in the second half of 2020.
The analysis was based on data collected between December 8, 2020 and February 15 of this year, during which 1.14 million doses of the vaccine were administered, with approximately one fifth of Scotland’s population having received a dose of available vaccines. In the reporting period, 650,000 people received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while the other 490,000 received the AstraZeneca vaccine. The difference is mainly due to the fact that AstraZeneca’s vaccine was approved a few weeks after Pfizer-BioNTech’s.
The researchers report that four weeks after receiving the first dose, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine led to a reduction in hospitalizations of up to 85 percent, while AstraZeneca up to 94 percent. Among people over 80 years of age and therefore at increased risk of developing severe, potentially life-threatening symptoms, vaccination reduced the risk of hospitalization by 81 percent (researchers determined a single percentage by combining data on the two types of vaccines).
However, the study did not directly compare the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine with that of AstraZeneca. The researchers’ goal was to estimate the effects of the vaccination campaign as a whole, which developed rapidly, especially among those over 80 years of age. Having been approved first, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine made more data available than AstraZeneca’s.
Three weeks after administering the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the researchers noticed a (very slight) increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, but it is not yet clear what caused it. Pfizer-BioNTech recommends receiving the second dose of the vaccine after three weeks, but the UK has chosen to delay the vaccine for up to 12 weeks so that more people can receive the first dose.
The AstraZeneca vaccine appears to work better than expected in older people, contrary to what has been shown in clinical trials conducted in recent months, where some complications occurred due to errors in its organization. If high efficacy among the elderly is confirmed, some governments may revise their recommendations to administer the vaccine only to those under 65 years of age.
Two other preliminary studies in England reported encouraging results on the efficacy of the vaccine, albeit based on a smaller sample of people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Three weeks after receiving the first dose, it was 57 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, in its mild and severe forms. Among the people who received the second dose, the effectiveness jumped to 85 percent.
In general, studies confirm the circumstance already highlighted in Israel, the country that was vaccinated the fastest of all: vaccinated individuals have greater protection against severe forms of COVID-19 and, consequently, have a lower risk of being hospitalized or die from illness.
New studies should be viewed with more caution, because they are still waiting to be reviewed by researchers who are not involved in their implementation. The prominent trends, in a fairly large sample of the population, are positive at least in the short term. In the coming weeks, more data will allow us to better estimate not only the level of protection that vaccines offer, but also their ability to make it less contagious and, consequently, reduce the circulation of the coronavirus.
[ad_2]
