UK’s first efficacy study shows vaccines dramatically reduced COVID-related hospitalizations

While the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the de-escalation plan in the United Kingdom, a first study on vaccines shows that the development of Pfizer / BioNTech reduces the risk of hospitalization four weeks after the first dose by up to 85% and that of AstraZeneca up to 94 percent.

According to work for Scotland released on Monday by the University of Edinburgh, the University of Strathclyde Yes Public Health Scotland, in addition to the over 80s, the drop reached 81% with candidate Pfizer, while clinical trials of the vaccine AstraZeneca they did not include elderly patients. This suggests that vaccines are achieving their goals by drastically reducing the number of severe cases from the first dose.

“The good news is that the study suggests that the vaccine delivery program, in its current form, is workingDr Josie Murray, from Public Health Scotland, who participated in the study, known as Project EAVE-II, told the newspaper The Guardian.

The truth is that the number of new infections, hospitalizations or daily deaths is starting to decline across the country, despite the caution of Boris Johnson, who wants a “negligence“.

For experts, the combination of a third blockade, since last January, and a strong vaccination campaign has stopped the spread of the coronavirus and its local variant, allowing hospitals and the health system to avoid collapse.

With the right data from United States e Israel, the British case is closely followed by the rest of the world: the British vaccination plan has already made it possible to administer at least one dose to one in three adults in United Kingdom. A total of 17.58 million Britons have already received it, although only 615,148 have received a second injection.

English strategy questioned

The good results also dampened criticism of the UK’s strategy for implementing and approving developments. Let us recall that many countries questioned a certain “lightness” of London by approving the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines from December thanks to emergency procedures.

Another criticism, from the experts, was the decision by the English health authorities to postpone the injection of the second dose for up to twelve weeks, regardless of the vaccine, in order to reach as many people as possible with it. the first “blow”. Pfizer recommended three weeks between the two of its development instead.

In the case of the product AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, which the UK has in large quantities with 2 million doses delivered each week, the decision not to make an age distinction, as its neighbors do Europeans, was a matter of observation. Some former partners felt that there was not enough information and preferred not to offer it to over 65s.

What does the study say?

According to research for Scotland from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Strathclyde and Public Health Scotland, the Pfizer vaccine reduced the risk of hospitalization by up to 85% four weeks after treatment, the first dose, and AstraZeneca up to 94%.

Figures on the effects of vaccines were collected between 8 December and 15 February, when 1.14 million doses of the vaccine were given and 21% of the Scottish population received a first dose. About 650,000 people received the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and 490,000 received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Principal Investigator Prof. Aziz Sheikh, Director of the Usher Institute at the University of Edinburgh, said: “These results are very encouraging and have given us good reason to be optimistic about the future. He added: We now have national evidence, across a country, that vaccination offers protection against hospitalizations related to COVID-19. “

Research indicates that the number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations has already halved from the peak recorded on January 18. And it keeps dropping by almost 25% per week.

“There are signs that the number of hospitalizations is dropping much faster than in the first wave,” said Health Minister Matt Hancock. However, the death toll, recorded within 28 days of a positive test, reached 120,757, including 178 on Monday, for 10,641 new cases.

“We didn’t specifically look at the idea of ​​lowering immunity,” said Professor Chris Robertson of the University of Strathclyde and head of statistics for the health protection group of Public Health Scotland. For the expert, in statements to the English press, “a more in-depth analysis with a longer-term follow-up” is necessary.

On the strength of these good data, Boris Johnson has just promised a first dose to all adults by the end of July, a commitment he had previously only made for September.

Reached the number of 15 million vaccinated in mid-February, among residents and employees of nursing homes, over 70 years and nurses, now the anti-covid serum application campaign has been extended to over 65 years of age and people with clinical signs that require it. The current plan also calls for all 50-year-olds to be injected before mid-European spring.

Despite the announcements, English health officials have stressed that people must live with all public health guidelines, such as washing their hands and keeping their distance, even after being vaccinated, and with a slow de-escalation plan that will end. July 21.

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