Study: Pfizer vaccine is 88% effective against delta variant

Two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are 88% effective against the delta variant, according to a new study.

The study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers at Public Health England, reassures about the effectiveness of vaccines against the delta variant.

The 88 percent effectiveness against the delta variant was only slightly lower than the 93.7 percent effectiveness against the alpha variant, which was first identified in the UK.

The results bolster earlier data from Public Health England in May, finding 88% efficacy against delta.

They contrast with an Israeli study earlier this month that sparked some concern when it found the Pfizer vaccine was only 64% effective against the delta variant, but the methods in this study have sparked skepticism. from some experts.

The study published on Wednesday also looked at the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is used in the UK but not in the US.

This vaccine was 67% effective against the delta variant, compared to 74.5% against alpha.

Both vaccines were much less effective after a single dose, around 30 percent, leading officials to urge people to receive both doses of the vaccine.

The overwhelming message from experts and health officials in the United States is to get vaccinated, given that vaccines have been shown to offer protection even against the delta variant, which is now dominant in the United States and is fueling epidemics. among the unvaccinated due to its transmissibility.

The 88 percent effectiveness of Pfizer’s Delta vaccine is also against the onset of symptoms. The efficacy against hospitalization and death was found to be even higher, although it was not measured in this study.

“Vaccines work, even against the variants”, tweeted Angela Rasmussen, virologist at the University of Saskatchewan, in response to the new study. “Get vaccinated if you haven’t already.”