Pfizer, AstraZeneca jabs effective against 'India variant': Study


London, May 23 (IANS): Two doses of either Pfizer and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine are highly effective against the B16172 variant, first identified in India, a new study has found.

The vaccines were also found to give a similar level of protection against symptomatic disease from the UK variant (B117), the BBC reported on Sunday.

The study, led by Public Health England (PHE), showed that three weeks after the first dose, both vaccines provided only 33 per cent protection against the Indian variant, while it offered 50 per cent effectiveness against the UK variant.

The Covid jabs by Pfizer and AstraZeneca are likely to be even more effective at preventing hospital admission and deaths, the researchers said.

For the study, a total of 12,675 sequenced cases were included between April 5 and May 16. Of these, B117 was detected from 11,621 cases and B16172 from 1,054.

The Pfizer vaccine was found to be 88 per cent effective at stopping symptomatic disease from the Indian variant two weeks after the second dose, compared with 93 per cent effectiveness against the UK variant.

On the other hand, the AstraZeneca jab was 60 per cent effective against the Indian variant, compared with 66 per cent against the UK variant, the report said.

The difference in effectiveness between the vaccines after two doses might be explained by the fact that rollout of second doses of AstraZeneca was later than for the Pfizer vaccine, which was approved first. Other data shows it takes longer to reach maximum effectiveness with the AstraZeneca vaccine, PHE said.

The study looked at data from all age groups from April 5, to cover the period since the Indian variant emerged. There is not enough data to estimate how effective the vaccine is against severe outcomes for the Indian variant, PHE said.

There was higher confidence in the data from the first vaccine dose than that from the second as "there are bigger numbers that have been vaccinated with one dose", Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant medical epidemiologist at PHE and the study's lead author, was quoted as saying.

 

  

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Comment on this article

  • j.anata, Mangaluru / Bengaluru

    Mon, May 24 2021

    "Indian Variant" language of CONgressu Toolu Kitu

    DisAgree [4] Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • jb, mlore

    Mon, May 24 2021

    This is a well planned strategy of Pfizer to get into India , publish some thing positive about Pfizer and put pressure on the govt to approve them to sell in India without passing the criteria's of the Indian govt . Even news about COVAXIN not recognized by WHO is another conspiracy to derail India's mammoth task of vaccination . Now just to make it ugly ,people who even donot have a passport will cry and make so much noise that they cannot travel to other countries . Surprisingly Chinese vaccine got approvals from WHO while they had the least percentage of effectiveness , even Seychelles is facing another wave where majority of the public where given Chinese vaccine .

    DisAgree Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • sri_elder, Karkala

    Mon, May 24 2021

    We need to stop relying on vaccine to stop pandemic. Instead of that identify all the virus carriers and isolate them. Later on you need to concentrate only on international passengers and their quarantine

    DisAgree [7] Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • Sunil K, Mangalore

    Mon, May 24 2021

    sri-elder - What madness ? Test 1.3 billion Indians to check if they are carriers ? Didn't your Modi do this foolish process during the first 70 days lockdown last year and subsequently understood that it was a stupid idea to begin with ? Viruses will come and go - its time for bhakts and BJP governments to get their heads out of the sand and kick out the incompetent twins at the top.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • sri_elder, Karkala

    Mon, May 24 2021

    @Sunil- madness is what some people believe that vaccines are 100% accurate and effective and efficient

    DisAgree Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Sunil K, Mangalore

    Mon, May 24 2021

    A few weeks later a new study will contradict this one and say that the vaccine jabs are not good for the Indian variant. Modi traveled the globe during the first 5 years of his first term and now this virus is doing the same during the second term.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • Roy, Mangalore

    Mon, May 24 2021

    When can we expect Pfizer and AstraZeneca in India . And in Mangalore ?

    DisAgree [2] Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • Allwyn Dsouza, Udyavara

    Mon, May 24 2021

    Covidshield vaccine is from Astrazeneca produced by Serum institute of India.T his vaccine is approved by WHO whereas Covaxin is not approved by WHO

    DisAgree [3] Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • Gav, Mangalore

    Mon, May 24 2021

    Astrazeneca is COVISHIELD

    DisAgree [2] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Manohar, Udupi

    Sun, May 23 2021

    Why Covaxin is not recognozed by WHO ?? ..that prevents Indians to go abroad.........What action did Indian govt. take on this matter??

    DisAgree [3] Agree [13] Reply Report Abuse


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