Pfizer And Astra-Zeneca Vaccines Offer 79 Per Cent And 60 Per Cent Protection Against Delta Variant: Lancet

One of the studies published in the Lancet journal reveals that Covid-19 vaccines by both Pfizer and Astrazeneca offer good support against the Delta variant of Coronavirus.

In fact, researchers from the Public Health Scotland and the University of Edinburgh discovered that the Pfizer-BioNTech provided better protection against the Delta variant as compared to Covishield, which is the vaccine put at maximum use in India.

The Lancet team in total examined 19,543 confirmed cases of SARA-CoV-2 infections that included around 377 patients who had to be hospitalized too. Out of these, about 7723 and 134 hospitalizations were of those who had contracted the Delta variant of the virus.

The study determined that the Pfizer vaccine provided 79 per cent protection against the Delta variant two weeks post the second dose. On the other hand, the researchers concluded that Astrazeneca’s preventive gives around 60 per cent protection against the same.

“Risk of Covid-19 hospital admission was approximately doubled in those with the Delta variant of concern (VOC) when compared to the Alpha VOC, with risk of admission particularly increased in those with five or more relevant comorbidities,” the study mentions, as reported by the Times of India.

It adds, “Both the Oxford–AstraZeneca and Pfizer–BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines were effective in reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and Covid-19 hospitalisation in people with the Delta VOC.”

Yet, the study mentions that these effects upon infection with the Delta variant of the virus fade away when compared to the Alpha version of the same.

They also assured that comparison of vaccines must always be viewed with a cautionary glance as there are certain differences in groups that take each type of the vaccine and also the speed in which they develop immunity following each shot.