Vaccines produce ‘spectacular’ outcomes

One Covid jab is enough to cut the risk of being admitted to hospital by up to 94 per cent and transmission by 70 per cent, real world data suggest.

Scientists said results from the rollout of both Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs were ‘‘spectacular’’ and provided ‘‘reasons to be optimistic’’ for the future.

One study, covering 1.1 million vaccinations given in Scotland, found that one dose of the Pfizer vaccine cut the risk of hospital admission by 85 per cent, after four weeks. And those given the AstraZeneca jab fared even better, with risk down by 94 per cent.

A number of countries in Europe have refused to supply the AstraZeneca jab to the elderly, claiming it does not offer sufficient protection.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Chief Scientific Adviser, suggested that the new findings should put paid to such claims.

The Scottish data, analysed by the University of Edinburgh, found that among over-80s one jab meant an 81 per cent reduction in the risk of hospital admission four weeks later, when results for both vaccines were combined.

Professor Aziz Sheikh, the lead researcher and director of the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, said the results showed both vaccines were working ‘‘spectacularly’’.

He said: ‘‘These results are very encouraging and have given us great reasons to be optimistic for the future.

‘‘We now have national evidence – across an entire country – that vaccination provides protection against Covid hospitalisations.’’

Meanwhile, separate data from England suggest that one dose of the Pfizer jab cuts the chance of infection or transmission by around 70 per cent.

More than 23,000 healthcare staff were tested every two weeks, allowing for the detection of infections without symptoms, which Public Health England described as ‘‘an important proxy’’ for measuring transmission.

The study of 104 hospitals in England involved healthcare workers aged 65 and under who were given at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Tests found that those given the jab had at least a 70 per cent lower chance of becoming infected with coronavirus three weeks after vaccination, rising to 85 per cent after a second dose.

The findings released by PHE yesterday relate to the Pfizer vaccine, which began being rolled out in December.

But Dr Susan Hopkins, PHE strategic response director, said ‘‘the really strong effect’’ being seen blocking infections, including those without symptoms, was also seen in early data regarding the AstraZeneca jab, which have yet to be published.

Meanwhile, data from 12,000 people aged 80 and over found those given one dose of the jab saw the risk of death fall by 56 per cent within four weeks.

Overall, one dose was enough to cut the risk of hospital admission and death by 75 per cent across all age groups, the real world data found.

It showed that among over-80s with confirmed Covid, those who were unvaccinated had a 13.4 per cent mortality rate, compared with a rate of 5.8 per cent among those who had received a jab at least two weeks before.

And the chance of hospital admission went from 15.3 per cent to 9 per cent.