Arthur Greene
A study has found that two of the major Covid-19 vaccines are both extremely effective against the variant identified in India.
Public Health England tested vaccines from Pfizer, the main jab in South Africa at the moment, and AstraZeneca, against the Indian variant. This variant has caused devastation in India and is spreading in the UK.
Some cases of the variant have occurred in South Africa
Research found that the Pfizer jab was 88% effective at preventing symptomatic disease from the Indian variant two weeks after taking a second dose.
AstraZeneca, meanwhile, was 60% effective two weeks after a second dose.
However, both vaccines were only 33% effective against the Indian variant three weeks after the first dose.
Experts have said that the vaccines are likely to be even more effective at preventing serious illness and death.
The study involved 1,054 people who were confirmed to have contracted the Indian variant between early April and mid-May.
Dr Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency said the study is the “first real-world evidence of vaccine effectiveness” against the variant.
The variant has spread to over 50 countries worldwide, and on 9 May, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that four cases of the variant had so far been detected in South Africa.
On Sunday, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced that 2,894 people had tested positive for the virus that day, while 30 people infected with Covid-19 died.
The news comes as a separate study found that Covid-19 doubles the risk of stillbirth in pregnant women infected with the virus.
The discovery has prompted calls for pregnant women to be prioritised for vaccination.
Picture source: @WebMD
