Pfizer Inc. Vaccines and AstraZeneca Plc protect against Delta, researchers say Monday
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People infected with the delta variant of COVID-19, which was first discovered in India, end up in hospital twice as often as the alpha variant identified in the UK last year.
Pfizer Inc. Vaccines and AstraZeneca Plc protect against Delta, researchers said Monday. In a large study from Scotland, they found that shots from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech SE offered better protection.
The findings, presented in a research letter published in The Lancet, come from British officials grappling over whether to delay lifting of pandemic restrictions if the Delta variant spreads.
“We must encourage everyone to come forward and accept their offer of vaccination to ensure they have received both doses,” Jim McMenamin, director of COVID-19 incidents for Public Health Scotland, told a news conference.
Researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde and Public Health Scotland found that the Pfizer vaccine provided 92% protection against the alpha variant and 79% against the delta variant, 14 days after the second dose. That compares with 73% and 60% protection for the Astra vaccine. The authors are careful not to interpret vaccine comparisons with caution because of the observational nature of the data.
The study covers the demographic distribution of cases in Scotland from April 1 to June 6. The researchers say a more complete analysis of these results will be carried out once they are combined with similar studies from the UK and other countries.
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