Study says two shots of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer effective against Delta variant

Two does of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine provide nearly as much protection against the Delta variant as they do against the previously dominant variants, a new study shows.

The positive news comes as cases of the Delta variant are rising exponentially around the world.

Over 44,000 people tested positive for the virus in the UK on Wednesday with the Delta variant being overwhelmingly dominant among those cases.

Officials have praised the effectiveness of the vaccines against the variant, but stressed that only one shot is not enough for high protection.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, confirms the findings of Public Health England in May of the efficacy of the two vaccines.

Wednesday’s study found that two doses of Pfizer’s shot was 88 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic disease from the Delta variant, compared to 93.7 per cent against the Alpha variant, broadly the same as previously reported.

Meanwhile, two shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine were 67 per cent effective against the Delta variant, compared to 74.5 per cent effective against the previously more dominant Alpha variant.

Public Health England researchers wrote in the study: “Only modest differences in vaccine effectiveness were noted with the Delta variant as compared with the Alpha variant after the receipt of two vaccine doses.”