Even though vaccinated people, who got infected with delta, had as much virus in their bodies as in those who did not get vaccines
According to a UK study, results show that a push for booster shots is necessary after double vaccination. It is said that vaccines against Covid-19 are less effective against the delta variant.
The study says, Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s messenger RNA vaccine lost effectiveness in the first 90 days. However, the one made by AstraZeneca Plc managed to stave off a majority of Covid infections.
Even though vaccinated people, who got infected with delta, had as much virus in their bodies as in those who did not get vaccines. This supports the assessment by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is a big realisation and tough to handle as many countries lack enough supply for first immunisations.
While the U.S. has said Americans who got both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Inc. mRNA vaccine will be able to get a third one after eight months, U.K. authorities are still deciding how broadly boosters should be given and in Israel, which started giving third doses of Pfizer-BioNTech this month, initial results show they have been 86 per cent effective for people over the age of 60.
This is a big realisation and tough to handle as many countries lack enough supply for first immunisations
“We’re seeing here the real-world data of how two vaccines are performing, rather than clinical trial data, and the data sets all show how the delta variant has blunted the effectiveness of both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs,” said Simon Clarke, an associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading.
The results cast further doubt on the possibility of achieving herd immunity via vaccination, said Sarah Walker, a professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at Oxford, who helped lead the study.
How much the vaccines will protect against hospitalisations and severe cases of Covid over time, said Penny Ward, a visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King’s College London, who wasn’t involved with the study, is still to be seen.
The findings may also support giving a booster dose of mRNA vaccine to people who got the Astra shot, which uses a different technology, Ward said in a statement. They also drive home the need for better Covid treatments, she said.