Astrazeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine offers high levels of protection, which have prevented 95% of hospitalizations, against the ‘Delta’ variant, formerly known as the ‘Indian’ strain, after the second dose.
According to data collected by the UK public health body, Public Health England (PHE) in a study that analyzed more than 14,000 cases of the ‘Delta’ variant between April 12 and June 4 , the two doses of the Astrazeneca vaccine are effective against hospitalizations caused by the Indian variant by 92 percent and without any death.
In addition, these results showed that the vaccine also showed a high level of efficacy against the ‘Alpha’ variant, also called ‘Kent’, with an 86 percent reduction in hospitalizations and no deaths were reported.
Efficacy data against severe forms of the disease and hospitalizations are associated with the strong cellular immune response (T cells) of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after the second dose and correlate with long-lasting high protection.
Instead, the data suggest that the effectiveness of the vaccine against milder symptomatic disease, although significant, was lower. In this case the effectiveness was 74 percent against the ‘Alpha’ variant and 64 percent against the ‘Delta’ variant.
‘Delta’ variant
In the UK the ‘Delta’ variant is already predominant and is the main cause of the wave of infection affecting the Indian subcontinent.
The country’s health authorities reported more than 8,000 new infections last Friday and pointed out that this variant was already responsible for 96% of the new cases in the country and 60% more transmissible than its dominant predecessor, the ‘Alpha’.
“This real data evidence shows that the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine provides a high level of protection against the ‘Delta’ variant, which is currently a critical area of concern given its rapid transmission. The data shows that the vaccine will continue to have a significant impact around the world as it continues to account for the overwhelming majority of supplies for India and for the COVAX plan, ”said AstraZeneca’s Executive Vice President of Biopharmaceutical R&D, Mene Pangalos .
In Spain, although still in a minority way, since it represents less than 1% of the cases, Madrid, Catalonia, Castilla y León and the Valencian Community have already confirmed the community transmission of this variant, according to the Ministry of Health.
The Community of Madrid has decided to advance the second puncture of AstraZeneca for the age group between 60 and 69 years as a prevention against a possible expansion of the cases of the Indian variant.
